The Christmas Vow

by Shanna Hatfield

  The look of unmistakable joy on her son’s face made Tia’s heart catch as the two loves of her life worked together outside the kitchen window.

  Suddenly recalling the pies she’d placed in the oven, Tia hurried to check on them. They weren’t quite done, so she shut the oven door and stood at the window, watching Adam play with Toby. Crabby supervised from his spot on top of a box Toby had set near the snowman, tail swishing back and forth.

  Tia’s jaw dropped when Adam leaned down and picked up the cat, cradling it on one arm as he brushed a hand along its white back. To her knowledge, no other adult besides her had been able to get close to Crabby.

  Rooted to her spot, she stared in shock as Adam and Toby sauntered across the yard. Fearful of being caught watching them, she hurried to pour milk into a saucepan on the stove. While it heated, she took out a square of baker’s chocolate and finely grated it then added it with a few spoons of sugar and hot water to another saucepan.

  Quickly stirring the melting chocolate, she smiled over her shoulder as Toby and Adam trooped inside, stamping snow from their boots before entering the warmth of the kitchen.

  “Mama! Did you see me and Mr. Adam make a snowman?” Toby asked as he jerked off his hat and tugged on his scarf.

  “I did, sweetheart.” Tia glanced at the cat still cradled on Adam’s arm. “Good afternoon, Adam. I see you’ve made a new friend.”

  “Toby tells me Crabby isn’t too fond of people.” Adam rubbed a hand over the cat’s head. A loud purr filled the kitchen and made Toby laugh.

  “Crabby seems to like you just fine.” Tia raised an eyebrow at her little boy. “Why don’t you take Crabby and go wash your hands, sweetheart. I’m making hot chocolate for you boys and I think there are a few cookies left.”

  “I should be going.” Adam set Crabby down and turned toward the door, but Toby grasped one of his big hands in both of his.

  “Please, Mr. Adam? Won’t you stay and have hot chocolate with me? Mama makes it really good.” Toby looked up at him with pleading eyes.

  Unable to tell the child no, he agreed. “Okay, I’ll stay for a cup of chocolate.” Adam cast a glance at Tia and she nodded her head in agreement. “But then I need to be on my way.”

  “Hooray!” Toby shouted as he whipped off his coat and tried to kick off his boots.

  “Here, little man, let me help.” Adam squatted down and settled Toby on one solid thigh while he helped the boy remove his boots. “There you go.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Adam!” Toby wrapped his arms around Adam’s neck and gave him a tight squeeze before racing off down the hall to the bathroom.

  Tia had hired a crew of workers to add a bathroom soon after she decided to stay in Hardman. She couldn’t bear the thought of using an outhouse after she’d been spoiled with indoor plumbing for so long.

  Adam watched Toby disappear before rising to his feet and removing his coat and gloves.

  In Hardman for less than a week, he’d already grown stir-crazy. He’d shoveled the boardwalks twice, mended a broken pew at the church, fixed a squeaky door at Arlan’s place, and repaired a leak in Filly’s kitchen sink.

  With nothing to do that afternoon, he’d attempted to settle down in Arlan’s parlor and read a book. Both Alex and Arlan recommended The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells.

  Adam read the first chapter with interest. The danger of shipwrecks was all too familiar to him.

  Although he’d not mentioned it to Arlan, he’d survived a brutal shipwreck in the spring. A large scar across his shoulder and down his back along with an occasional stiffness in his left hand reminded him that life was fleeting at best. They hadn’t lost anyone in the wreck, but it had been so close, Adam had nightmares about it for weeks afterward.

  By the third chapter of the book, Adam’s thoughts drifted to Tia and Toby. He’d seen them at church Sunday, but managed to be polite, though aloof. Now, he wished he’d been a little friendlier.

  Picturing Tia all alone in that old house, he questioned whether she had enough wood cut for her fireplace and stove. Did the shingles blow off the roof in storm they’d had yesterday morning? Had she decided what to do about her father-in-law threatening to take Toby?

  The Tia he remembered would have sent the man a scathing note telling him what she thought of his high-handed behavior in no uncertain terms.

  The grown-up Tia, though, seemed more inclined to suggest demurely she didn’t appreciate the judge’s plans.

  Adam wondered when Tia had lost her fire or if being part of the proper and snobby Devereux family had just banked the embers.

  Annoyed that he cared, he set the book aside and got to his feet. In need of physical exertion, he’d gone outside for a walk.

  Without conscious thought, his feet carried him past Tia’s house. When he saw Toby outside struggling to make a snowman on his own, Adam stopped to assist him. The next thing he knew, he’d agreed to stay for a cup of hot chocolate.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Adam asked, stepping behind Tia as she mixed the melted chocolate into the hot milk.

  “If you wouldn’t mind taking down the mugs, I’d appreciate it. You’ll find them in that cupboard, there.” She jutted her chin in the direction of a cupboard near the sink. Adam lifted out three mugs. One he recalled from when they were kids because Tia always wanted to drink out of it.

  Creamy white with a chip in the handle, a pattern of deep pink roses decorated the side of the cup. It appeared Tia valued the sentiment of the piece more than she did having a cupboard full of matching dishes.

  Adam set the mugs on the counter and watched as Tia filled them with the steaming hot chocolate. She added a dollop of cream to one and stirred it in as Toby raced back into the kitchen with his hair combed and hands scrubbed.

  Tia placed the mug with the cream in front of Toby then grabbed the rose-emblazoned mug, handing the last one to Adam.

  Nearly as quick as she took a seat, she popped back up, arranged cookies on a plate, and set it in the center of the table along with three napkins.

  She handed Toby a cookie then held the plate out to Adam. He accepted one of the sugar cookies and took a bite before sipping the hot chocolate.

  Toby was right. His mama did make really good hot chocolate. Unlike many people who scrimped either on the chocolate or sugar, this drink was rich and sweet.

  Rather like the woman who made it.

  Adam groaned inwardly and redirected his thoughts away from how enticing Tia looked with her hair in a loose bun and a smudge of flour on her cheek. His fingers itched to reach out and brush it away, so he finished his cookie and wrapped them around the cup of hot chocolate.

  Toby filled the silence with his chatter. When Adam mentioned that he piloted boats down the river, the little boy scurried to his room and returned clutching a book in his hand. He set it down next to Adam and climbed on his lap without hesitation.

  Page by page, Toby went through the different types of boats, pointing out which ones he liked best and why.

  “I see you’ve got a sailor in the making on your hands,” Adam observed, offering Tia his dimple-cheeked grin and a wink before returning his attention to Toby.

  Flabbergasted by Adam’s easy manner with her son, Tia’s tongue felt tied in knots. She studied the dark-haired man bending over to peruse her golden-headed child’s book.

  “That’s a steam schooner.” Adam pointed to a picture then to another. “And a sternwheeler.”

  “Have you been on a schooner, Mr. Adam?” Toby asked, turning his gaze from the book to the man who intrigued him.

  “I sure have, Toby, and a sternwheeler. If it travels on the water, I’ve probably piloted it at some point. Most often, I pilot big ships coming inland from the sea to Portland and barges carrying wheat. Did you know that a large portion of the nation’s wheat crop, and even a percentage of the world’s wheat, is grown right here in Oregon?”

  “It is?” Toby’s voice held a note of wonder as he gazed at Ada
m.

  “It sure is.” Adam watched as Toby returned his attention to the book and pointed to a canoe.

  “Have you ever been in one of those?” Toby tapped his tiny finger on the picture.

  “I have,” Adam said, leaning back in his chair. Toby propped an elbow on the table and studied Adam with a mixture of awe and excitement.

  “Was it fun?”

  “It was fun,” Adam agreed. “There’s this old Indian named Charlie Two-Teeth. He paddles his canoe along the shore, catching fish in traps. One day we stopped nearby, so I walked over to Charlie and asked him if I could sit in his canoe. He shrugged, so I wasn’t sure he understood me. When I held out a fifty-cent piece, he grinned and handed me the oar. I don’t know what happened to ol’ Charlie’s teeth, but all he’s got is one here,” Adam pointed to one of his top teeth, “and one here.” He touched a bottom tooth.

  “Golly!” Toby said, eyes wide. “Where did you take his canoe?”

  “I paddled it across the river and back again.” Adam made a rowing motion with his arms. “Luckily for me, it was at a narrow spot.”

  Tia smiled and watched Toby relax against Adam as they finished looking through the book.

  Her son missed having a father figure in his life. When Patrick died, Roland had tried to stop by weekly to give Toby some special attention. Although Cedric and Catherine claimed to dote on the boy, they seldom spent time with him. She couldn’t fathom why they’d want to take him away from her.

  Neither of them had any interest in the day-to-day care of a child. The thought of them hiring a nanny and ignoring Toby made Tia even more determined to keep it from happening.

  “Look, Mama.” Toby pointed to a photo of a houseboat. “That’s like the boat I want to have someday. I’m going to marry Erin Dodd and we’ll have our very own boat.”

  Adam chuckled and Tia smiled. She reached out and caught Toby’s chin in her hand, turning his face to hers. “Those are some big plans, young man. I’m glad to see you’re thinking ahead.”

  “I am, Mama. Erin and I will live on the big boat and you, and Pastor Chauncy, and Miss Abby, and Mr. Adam, and everyone can come visit us. We’ll have lots and lots of room.”

  “I’ll look forward to seeing that big boat, Toby.” Adam patted the boy on his back, drinking the last of his chocolate.

  He set Toby on his feet then rose to his own. “Thank you for allowing me to help with your snowman and showing me your book. Maybe I can show you how to make a sailor’s knot or two sometime.”

  Animated, Toby grabbed Tia’s arm and shook it. “Can he, Mama? Can he show me how to tie a real sailor’s knot?”

  “Of course, as long as Mr. Guthry has time and you behave yourself.” Tia grinned at Toby, pleased by his enthusiasm.

  “The one thing I’ve got the next few weeks is plenty of time,” Adam said as he pulled on his coat and wrapped a scarf around his neck. He’d once again forgotten to wear his hat, although he didn’t really care. He opened the door but turned back to Tia before he stepped outside. “I noticed there are some loose shingles on your roof. It wouldn’t be any trouble to fix them for you.”

  Tia pushed past him out the door and rushed down the steps, walking backward across the yard until she could see the roof. As Adam said, she could see several loose shingles. The two men she usually hired to do odd jobs around her house were already overextended with projects. They let her know before Thanksgiving that they wouldn’t be available to do any work until after Christmas.

  While she hated to accept help from Adam, she didn’t want to lose any shingles in the next windstorm.

  Crossing her arms over her chest, she marched over to where he stood with Toby at the door. “I’ll purchase all the necessary supplies and pay you for your time.”

  “You’ve probably already got all the necessary supplies and you won’t pay me for my time. If you insist on it, I won’t do it at all. I might take a pie as payment. However, I’d prefer one without a blackened crust.”

  “Oh, gracious!” Tia raced inside the house and pulled the pies from the oven. Enthralled with Adam and the affectionate interaction between him and Toby, she’d completely forgotten about her pies.

  The crust was darker than she liked, but at least they weren’t black, as Adam had suggested.

  His chuckles floated back to her as he strode outside and down the porch steps.

  Chapter Six

  A knock at the front door caught Tia by surprise as she slid a chicken into the oven to roast for dinner.

  Swiftly wiping off her hands and removing her apron, she hurried to the door as someone knocked a second time.

  An impeccably dressed man stood on the front step, holding his hat in his hand as she opened the door.

  “Mrs. Devereux?” He smiled in a seemingly friendly manner.

  “Yes?” Tia had no idea who the man was as she took in his stocky, short build. A hint of foreboding settled like a lump of unpalatable mush in the pit of her stomach.

  Although his clothes were expensive, the man appeared out of place in them, like an actor playing a part. In spite of how he looked, Tia had no problem picturing the man as a ruffian.

  “I’m Edward Nivens. The Honorable Cedric Devereux retained my services in the matter of guardianship of his grandson.”

  “What?” Tia took a staggering step back and bumped into Toby as he ran to the door to see who had arrived.

  The little boy sensed her fear and clung to her hand. “Mama?”

  Tia forced a smile to her face and turned to her son. “Sweetheart, would you run into the kitchen to make sure we have enough cookies for today? If we have additional visitors, we might need to bake more.”

  “Okay,” Toby said, dragging his toes and staring at the strange man over his shoulder as he shuffled to the kitchen.

  When he was out of earshot, Tia returned her attention to the man who lingered in her doorway. “What is the meaning of this?”

  “Judge Devereux is concerned about his grandson’s wellbeing. Since he did not receive a reply to the letter he sent, he began proceedings to seek guardianship of the child. I’m to serve these papers to you and, if you’re in agreement, bring the child back to Portland with me.”

  “Of course I’m not in agreement!” Tia hissed, refusing to take the thick envelope Mr. Nivens held out to her. “Has Cedric lost his mind? The only way he’ll get guardianship of Toby is over my cold, dead body.”

  “I believe he’s willing to consider that as a possibility.” Mr. Nivens leered at her and stepped inside the house.

  The cold gleam in his eyes sent fear slithering along Tia’s spine. “Get out of my house and don’t ever come back!”

  “I’ll remain here until the boy is in my keeping. You might as well get his things because whether you willingly send him today or I take him by force, he’s still going.”

  “I won’t allow it! I won’t!” Tia regulated the volume of her voice so it wouldn’t carry to the kitchen and frighten Toby. However, her tone clearly conveyed her disgust and dismay. “I insist you leave this instant or I’ll…”

  The man grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back. “Or you’ll what, missy? Seems to me you don’t…”

  A blur of white fur launched across the room and latched onto Mr. Nivens’ leg. He howled in pain as Crabby dug in his claws and rapidly climbed upward. Screeches rang through the house as Mr. Nivens attempted to shake off the enraged feline while the cat snarled and spat, furiously inching toward the man’s head.

  Bits of white fur floated like fluffy snowflakes in the air as the man tried to grab the writhing feline. Sharp teeth sunk into his palm, drawing blood. Mr. Nivens waved his bleeding hand in the air as he gaped in utter disbelief at Crabby.

  “Get this demented beast off me!” he shouted, panicked as the cat continued his ascent.

  Unaware of the danger, Toby ran into the room and sank onto the floor with laughter, watching the man spin in circles as the cat clung to his chest.


  Tia took advantage of the intruder’s distress to give him a hard shove out the door. She locked it behind him then stood at the window, watching as the cat raised a paw and clawed a deep scratch across Mr. Nivens’ chin. Crabby jumped down and pranced through the snow toward the back of the house.

  With a look of shock and anger on his face, the man swiped at the blood dripping down his chin, shook his fist toward the house, and stomped off.

  Relieved he’d gone, Tia sank onto the sofa, trying to gain control of her shaking limbs.

  Stunned that Cedric would hire a thug to do his dirty work, she tried to think of the best course of action.

  Perhaps she should pack a bag and steal away in the night to protect her son. She had a few friends in Pendleton that might help her. Maybe it would be best to head south to California, toward a warmer climate.

  Lost in her worries, she jumped to her feet as Toby tried to open the door.

  “Toby, no! Don’t open the door!” She rushed to his side and dropped to her knees, pulling him into her arms.

  “But, Mama, Mr. Adam’s out there.” Toby pointed to the door as another knock sounded. “I want to tell him about Crabby climbing all over that man.”

  Tia stood, still holding Toby, and unlocked the door. Adam took one look at her and stepped inside, placing a hand on her arm as he closed the door. “What’s wrong, Tia? What’s happened?”

  She gave Adam a cautionary glance then rested her cheek against Toby’s forehead. “I think you might need to check on Crabby, sweetheart. Why don’t you get your boots and coat and go outside? Just long enough to check on the kitty. And make sure you stay where I can see you.”

  “Okay, Mama.” Toby started squirming before she set him down and raced into the kitchen. In no time, the sound of the kitchen door opening and closing carried back to where Adam and Tia stood by the front door.

  “You’re shaking like a leaf, Tia. What’s wrong?” Adam took her hand in his and led her to the kitchen. He eased her down into a chair where she could watch Toby in the backyard while he pulled the kettle toward the front of the stove to heat the water for tea.