The Christmas Vow

by Shanna Hatfield

  Without saying a word, he picked up a fork and fished the spoon out of the pan, stirring the contents and pouring it into the hot milk. He turned back to Tia and studied her as she remained at the sink with her fingers beneath the running water.

  In truth, she hadn’t burned them, but Adam’s seductive attention to each finger left her so thunderstruck, she couldn’t have told anyone her age, address, or even her name at that moment.

  Certain he teased her with his flirting, she had to get her thoughts concerning him straightened out in her head. If she didn’t, her heart would never survive until Christmas.

  Women she’d once considered her friends when she lived in Portland would no doubt find Adam too rugged for their tastes. However, Tia thought he couldn’t possibly appear any more appealing than he did at that moment.

  Her perusal started at this thick dark hair and traveled down to his broad shoulders. She made note of the angry scar running down his back, wondering how he’d gotten it. The wound didn’t offend her. Rather, it made Adam’s past more mysterious.

  While he stirred the chocolate, she studied the fit of his pants over his firm seat and the length of his legs, imagining the muscles the denim material covered.

  Bewitched by his raw masculinity, she felt lightheaded. Then she made the mistake of glimpsing into his vibrant blue eyes. He winked and offered her a bow with a grand flourish.

  “Milady, please be seated and I’ll offer you a cup of refreshment.” Adam affected an accent that sounded quite similar to Blake Stratton’s.

  Tia smiled and curtsied, mindful that Adam grew infinitely more alluring with every passing minute. At the rate things were progressing, she’d be on the floor at his feet, begging him to love her.

  The vision that created caused her to stifle a giggle, although Adam heard it and turned from pouring hot chocolate into mugs toward her. “What’s so funny?”

  “You, us, this…” Tia waved a hand around the kitchen, unwilling to admit what truly made her laugh. “I just never pictured you serving me hot chocolate in the middle of the night while I’m such a mess.”

  “So you pictured me serving you hot chocolate in the middle of the night while you wore a ball gown?” Adam grinned as he set a mug in front of her and took his seat at the table.

  “No, you nut.” Tia giggled then clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. The last thing she needed was to awaken Toby. Even though the boy was a sound sleeper, as much noise as they’d made, she wouldn’t have been surprised to see him stumble into the kitchen.

  Adam cut a bite of the cake and ate it, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the treat. “Filly sure knows her way around the kitchen. She and Luke have had us over for dinner a few times, and I have to admit, I ate with all the restraint of Chauncy Dodd.”

  Unable to hold back her mirth, Tia laughed. “Surely not, Adam. No one is as bad as Chauncy when it comes to Filly’s cooking.”

  “So I’ve heard, and even witnessed it one evening.” Adam took another bite of cake. “Do you remember Filly from our school days?”

  Tia offered him a befuddled glance. Filly was a few years older than she was, but Tia recalled all her fellow students. She couldn’t remember a single girl named Filly.

  “She went by Philamena back then,” Adam said, holding out a bite for Tia.

  Lost in her thoughts of trying to place her friend, Tia accepted the bite before she realized what she’d done. Adam smirked at her with a look of smug victory and licked the fork before plunging it back into the cake.

  “Wasn’t there a girl named Philamena Booth?” Tia asked.

  “That’s Filly. Her father imprisoned her on their farm right after her mother died until Luke rescued her not long before they wed. Arlan gave me the particulars, but Luke doesn’t like folks to know about Filly’s past because her father was the town drunk for several years. He’s afraid people will judge her for that instead of love her for the sweet woman we all know.”

  Tia stared at him a moment. “I had no idea. Of course, I remember Alford Booth, but I had no idea what happened to Philamena. She just sort of disappeared and since she was older than us, I never gave it much thought.” Tears filled Tia’s eyes. “How horrible for her. Oh, I feel so bad I didn’t realize… that I didn’t…”

  Adam settled his big hand on top of hers as she traced the pattern of the cloth covering the table. “No one knew, Tia. Oh, a few people, like Chauncy, knew Filly lived out on the farm, but no one knew Alford kept her imprisoned there. If we’d known, realized what she’d endured, I like to think some of the men in town would have taken action. The sheriff would have done something, I’m sure. He’s a good man.”

  Tia nodded her head as she fought for control of her emotions.

  Adam patted her hand and returned to his cake. “Besides, Filly seems perfectly happy with life now. I bet if you asked her, she’d tell you she wouldn’t trade the past for anything because it brought her the gift of the present.”

  Mindful that Adam tried to take her mind off what must have been a horrific experience for their friend, she let him. “Aren’t you turning philosophical in your old age?”

  “Old age?” Adam slapped a hand to his impressive chest. “How dare you call me old when you’re older than me by twelve days?”

  “Then we’re both bordering on ancient,” Tia teased, sipping her hot chocolate and wishing there was some way to preserve the spirited exchange with Adam for days when her heart weighed heavy.

  “I refuse to accept either title. I much prefer to be lumped in with the youngsters.”

  Tia raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “That isn’t going to happen, my friend.” There wasn’t a single possibility of anyone confusing the spectacular man Adam had become with a boy.

  As they drank hot chocolate and ate cake, they recalled more funny stories from their childhood.

  Finally, Tia let the fatigue she’d fought for hours settle in. When she yawned, then yawned again, Adam offered her a sympathetic look.

  “It’s been a long day, Tia. Go to bed. I can wash the dishes.” Adam stood and carried their mugs to the sink.

  “Oh, just leave them until morning. I’ll wash them with the breakfast dishes.” She rose to her feet and returned to the parlor where she left the throw over the end of the sofa and banked the fire while Adam attended to the one in the kitchen.

  The clock above the mantle chimed twice and Tia sighed. Toby would be up and ready to face the day in four short hours.

  “You better get some sleep while you can. I have an idea that little man of yours is an early riser.” Adam’s voice near her ear made Tia jump. She pressed a hand to her throat in a vain effort to still her pounding heart.

  “You almost scared the dickens out of me, Adam Guthry.”

  He chuckled and put a hand on her back. The heat of his touch gave her a moment of concern, sure he’d burn a hole right through her nightdress with just his fingers and the palm of his hand.

  Sensations she’d never experienced made her arms and legs completely languid, like she trudged uphill through a stream of molasses.

  Discombobulated, she tripped on the hem of her gown. Adam wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest and preventing her fall.

  Teetering on the edge of panic, Tia took a deep breath and nearly drowned in Adam’s beguiling scent. She’d never, in her life, felt anything as tantalizing as Adam’s chest pressed against her back. The hard contours of his solid frame scorched her skin through her nightgown.

  Quickly sucking in a gulp of air, she somehow mustered the strength to step away from him. “Thank you, Adam. That surely would have awoken Toby if I’d fallen.”

  “You’re welcome. Do you need me to tuck you in?” Although his voice held a teasing tone as they spoke in hushed whispers, Tia could see an intense glow in his eyes from the light of the small lamp she carried in her hand.

  Miraculously, she hadn’t dropped it when she tripped.

  With the conc
lusion she’d tested her luck and self-control enough for one evening, she hurried down the hall to her room.

  Adam followed behind her, stopping in his doorway as she turned back to him. “Thank you, again for everything. Rest well.”

  Tia shut her door and leaned against it for several minutes before she moved to the bed and fell into an exhausted slumber, dreaming of her new husband.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Hi, Daddy!” Toby said as he raced into the kitchen the following morning.

  Surprised the boy remembered their conversation from the previous day, Adam set down the newspaper he’d been reading and opened his arms to his new son. “Hi there, Toby. Did you have good dreams?”

  “Yep,” the imp said, settling himself on Adam’s thigh. “I dreamed you were my daddy now. Then I woked up and you are!”

  Adam chuckled as he tweaked the child’s button nose. “I sure am.” Despite Tia’s predictions her son would rise early, the boy had slept until well past seven.

  Gulping the remainder of the coffee in his cup, Adam jiggled Toby on his knee. “What do you think of starting the day with breakfast at the restaurant?”

  “Really?” Toby asked, wide-eyed.

  “Really. Let’s get you dressed and we’ll go eat while your Mama sleeps. So be very, very quiet. We don’t want to wake her up.”

  Adam set Toby on his feet then stood, hiding a grin as the little boy tiptoed down the hall with exaggerated movements to his room.

  Quickly helping the child dress, Adam escorted him to the bathroom where Toby made use of the facilities.

  Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, Adam leaned against the door and watched as the boy washed his face, brushed his teeth and combed his hair unassisted. He figured Toby’s hair appeared more tamed than his did, even before the child ran a comb over his golden locks in a haphazard fashion.

  As they walked past Tia’s bedroom door, Toby looked up at Adam and touched his index finger to his lips, indicating they should be quiet.

  Adam nodded in agreement.

  Back in the kitchen, he helped Toby on with his coat and boots then shrugged into a chore coat he’d purchased after the first day of shoveling sidewalks in his pea coat.

  The realization that Tia would be frantic if she awoke to find Toby suddenly gone sent him hurrying to the small writing desk in the parlor. He located a sheaf of papers along with an inkwell and a pen.

  The delicately carved desk chair groaned beneath his weight as he sat down to scribble a note to Tia.

  He left it on the kitchen table, setting his coffee cup on it to keep anything from blowing it off.

  After tugging on Toby’s mittens, Adam opened the back door and the child rushed outside. He glanced at the cat, curled in his box by the stove. “Come on, Crabby. Time for you to get some fresh air and sunshine.”

  Lazily, the cat stood and stretched out his front paws, arched his back, and wiggled his hind end before stepping out of the box and sauntering to the door. He glanced up at Adam and meowed once on his leisurely jaunt across the floor.

  “I see we’re going to have to work on your ability to hustle out the door, Crabby.” Adam grinned as the cat stopped in the middle of the doorway and sat down to lick his paw.

  When he used the toe of his boot to scoot the cat outside, Crabby scowled at him. The feline stalked down the steps and minced his way through the snow to the bushes behind the house.

  “Mama says Crabby likes to do things his way,” Toby said as he ran up to Adam and grabbed his hand.

  “I’m starting to see that,” Adam said, smiling down at the boy. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yes, sir!” Toby jumped off the porch step and skipped along, staying close to Adam.

  “What are you going to have for breakfast? Do you like pancakes?”

  Toby stuck out his tongue and licked his upper lip with wide blue eyes. “I love pannacakes.”

  “Me, too.” Adam grinned as the little boy tugged on his hand to hurry up. Lengthening his stride, Toby jogged beside him, eager to reach the restaurant.

  The child almost ran out into the street in front of a wagon, but Adam kept a firm grip on his hand. “Whoa, there, little man. Let’s wait for the wagon. Your mama would lock me out of the house if I let you get smashed before we can even eat breakfast this morning.”

  The boy gazed up to him with such trust and unfiltered love on his face, it made Adam’s heart skip a beat.

  He’d never spent much time around children, yet he enjoyed being with Toby. Unable to discern if part of that was because the boy belonged to Tia or because of his own unique personality, Adam just knew his heart felt lighter when he was around the rascally little fellow.

  When they entered the restaurant, a waitress nodded at Adam to acknowledge his presence. She set down the plates of food she carried at a table with three men.

  Toby balanced on one foot then the other as they waited for a seat.

  Once the waitress showed them to a table, Adam helped Toby remove his mittens, coat, and hat before he took off his own coat and scarf, realizing he’d left his hat at Arlan’s house. He’d stop by and fetch it on his way back to Tia’s.

  The waitress placed a padded wooden block the width and depth of the seat on a chair. Adam set Toby on it before he scooted in the child’s chair.

  Toby grinned and picked up his napkin, draping it across his lap with great care.

  Adam hid his smile by studying his menu. He read off the selections to Toby but the little boy remained firm in his decision to have pancakes.

  The waitress returned to their table, bringing Adam a cup of coffee and Toby a glass of milk. “What would you two men like this morning?” she asked.

  “Two orders of pancakes, make mine a double order, please, and a large side of bacon with eggs.” Adam handed the waitress his menu and winked at Toby. “You think that will hold us until lunch, Toby?”

  “Yep!” Toby grinned at the waitress and Adam watched her visibly soften. She reached out and ruffled the child’s hair before hurrying back to the kitchen with their orders.

  “What do you and your mama do to pass the time?”

  Toby gave him a confused look.

  Adam realized he needed to be more mindful of how he worded things. Although Toby had an expansive vocabulary, he was only four. “How do you and your mama spend the day?”

  “Oh, I understand.” Toby took a gulp of his milk and set down the glass, politely wiping his mouth on his napkin.

  With self-mockery, Adam decided he could learn a thing or two about manners from the child.

  Toby smiled at his new father. “Mama and I have breakfast then I take care of Crabby.” Toby leaned closer to Adam. “Can you keep a secret?”

  “I sure can,” Adam whispered back to the boy.

  “Mama doesn’t make very good pancakes. She thinks I don’t like them, but I just don’t like the way she makes them.” Toby wrinkled his nose. “She makes lots and lots of other good things, though. It’s important for a mama to make good food for a daddy, isn’t it?”

  Adam nodded his head, forcing himself not to chuckle. “It is important. I’ll remember not to request pancakes, though. Once in a while, you and I can eat breakfast in a restaurant and have pancakes. That way, we won’t hurt your mama’s feelings. It’s very kind of you, Toby, not to tell her you don’t like the way she makes them.”

  Toby beamed at Adam’s praise. “My mama tries hard. I don’t want to make her sad.”

  “Me neither.”

  Toby gazed around the restaurant then rubbed a little finger across his chin as he studied the other patrons. “I’m glad you married us and like my mama. She cries a lot when she thinks I’m asleep, but I know you can fix her.”

  Under the assumption he’d made things worse instead of better, it stroked Adam’s ego to know Toby had faith in his abilities to heal Tia’s wounded heart. The fact her son thought she needed to be fixed caused Adam to be both humored and concerned.

  “I’m sure
your mama misses your father a lot,” Adam commented, taking a sip of the hot coffee.

  Toby shook his head. “I don’t think so. Mama said my father was always busy with work and didn’t spend much time with us. My uncle Roland was heaps of fun, though. I miss him. He died, too.”

  “I heard about that. I’m sorry, Toby. Your mama said he used to take you to the zoo. What was your favorite animal?”

  Toby leaned his elbows on the table as excitement flooded his face. “The bears. Uncle Roland let me see them for as long as I liked. Grandfather took me once, but he didn’t let me stay long. Grandfather does this a lot.” Toby crossed his arms across his chest, pushed his eyebrows together and scowled.

  Adam had all he could do to hold back a laugh at the boy’s comical expression. At his nod, Toby continued. “But Uncle Roland and I watched them and watched them. They look like this…” Toby held his arms over his head and curled his fingers like claws then opened his mouth wide and growled, swaying back and forth in his chair.

  In his exuberant movements, he almost tipped out of the seat, but Adam grabbed him before he fell to the floor.

  Toby clung to his arm then swung back onto his chair. “Thanks, Daddy. I almost splattered.”

  Adam chuckled and scooted Toby’s chair a little closer to his, realizing he had much to learn about caring for a young child. “You are welcome. It would be a shame to have a splattered boy before we even eat our breakfast.”

  The waitress arrived with their food. Toby waited while Adam asked a blessing on the meal before picking up his fork and cutting into his pancakes. Adam placed a slice of bacon and a forkful of scrambled eggs on the child’s plate before tucking into his food.

  Toby ate most of his pancakes and another piece of bacon, surprising Adam by the amount of food he put away.

  Glad to see the boy was a good eater, Adam finished his coffee while Toby drained his milk glass and wiped his face on his napkin.

  “Shall we go for a walk before we head home?” Adam asked after he paid the bill and helped Toby put on his coat and hat.

  The little boy tugged on his mittens as he glanced up at Adam. “May we? May we walk past Erin’s house?”