The Christmas Vow

by Shanna Hatfield

  “I think I need a little sugar, too.” Adam licked the last bit of dough from his index finger then traced it across Tia’s bottom lip. She opened her mouth to protest at the same moment Adam bent down and captured her lips with his, enfolding her in his arms.

  Toby giggled and ran over to them, tugging on Tia’s apron. “What are you doing?”

  Adam lifted his head, keeping his gaze fastened to Tia’s unsettled one as he answered the boy. “I’m kissing your mama, Toby, and I plan to do it every day, so you better get used to it.”

  Toby wrinkled his nose and returned to the table. “Erin says her daddy gives her mama slobbery kisses.”

  “Good for the pastor,” Adam mumbled, tracing his finger over Tia’s lip again.

  Addled from his attention to her mouth and the splendor of his kiss, Tia scooped a glob of dough from the bowl and dropped it in Adam’s hand, hoping to distract him.

  He winked at her and ate the dough.

  Under the assumption he’d find something else to do beyond torment her with his enticing smile and mouth-watering kisses, she glanced over as he removed his shirt.

  Her eyes widened as she watched him remove his undershirt and lay it along with his shirt over a chair. Adam’s broad shoulders, brawny chest and muscled arms made her fingers itch to explore all that wonderfully exposed skin.

  Disconcerted by the direction of her thoughts, she frowned as he lifted his left arm. He tried to look at the stitches on his side, twisting this way and that.

  Unable to see them, he scratched at his side until Tia wiped her hands on her apron and stepped over to grab his hand in hers.

  “Stop that, Adam. You’re worse than a child.” She released his hand and examined the healing wound. A shudder rolled over him as she lightly ran her finger around the gash. Her fingertips burned from the slight touch. “You ought to have Doc take those stitches out. I think they’re ready.”

  “Do you have a pair of sharp scissors?” Adam asked, tugging upward on the skin above the wound, trying to study it.

  “If you’re planning to cut them out yourself, then the answer is a resounding no.”

  Adam narrowed his gaze. “Either I do it myself or you can do it for me. I’m not going to bother Doc with something this simple.”

  Tia took a step away from him, appalled at the idea of removing his stitches. She’d never been squeamish, but thoughts of touching Adam’s skin, being that close to his bare upper body, left her completely rattled.

  As much as his presence affected her, she wasn’t convinced she could keep her hand still enough to pull out the stitches without causing him undue agony.

  Adam glanced at her again and shook his head. “You want to help me, Toby? You did a great job helping when Doc put them in.”

  Tia scowled. “No! Toby will not be the assistant to your idiotic plans.”

  Resigned to helping Adam, she set a small pan of water on the stovetop to boil then disappeared down the hall. Only a minute passed before she returned with a sharp pair of scissors and a pair of tweezers. Carefully, she dropped them into the hot water.

  While they boiled, she hurriedly cut out the cookie dough, dropping shapes of stars and trees onto baking sheets and shoved one into the oven. After cleaning the counter and washing her hands again, she motioned to Adam.

  “Sit on the end of the counter so I don’t have to bend over to do this.” Tia lit a lamp while Adam took a seat on the counter where she indicated.

  “Are you sure you can handle it, Queenie? I can have Toby help me.” Adam knew he goaded her, but he needed a distraction from his all-consuming need to own her, to love her.

  She scowled at him and set the lamp beside him then opened a cupboard near the door. Unable to reach what she wanted, she pulled over a chair from the table and stood on the seat, taking down a bottle from the far back of the top shelf.

  Adam’s eyebrows rose at the sight of the whiskey bottle she set near the lamp. “If I find you tipsy one evening, I’ll know the cause. What else is in that cupboard over there?”

  Affronted, Tia huffed. “I’ll have you know the only liquor that’s touched these lips was the time you and Carl talked me into sampling that bottle of vile hooch Mr. Luther concocted.”

  Adam chuckled at the memory. “I can’t speak for Carl, but that stuff cured me from ever wanting another drink.”

  After soaping a cloth and wiping it over the wound then rinsing it, Tia poured whiskey onto a clean cloth and swabbed it over the stitches.

  Adam watched her work. “Might I assume you keep that for medicinal purposes?”

  “You might assume correctly.” Tia finished cleansing the area on his side then took the scissors and tweezers from the pot of boiling water.

  Interested in the proceedings, Toby pulled over the chair Tia had stood on and climbed onto the seat, leaning against Adam’s knees.

  “Are you sure you want to watch this, sweetheart?” Tia looked to her son.

  Briskly, he nodded his head. “If I want to be a doctor someday and marry Erin, I should watch.”

  Tia looked at Adam. He hid a smirk, but she saw the humor in his eyes. Afraid she might hurt him, she gingerly used the tweezers to lift the first knot in the thread and snipped it. Slowly, she pulled it loose. Her gaze lifted to Adam’s and he smiled at her, offering a look of assurance.

  “You’re doing fine, Tia.”

  In fact, if she kept touching him so gently, he’d forget about the stitches and Toby’s enthusiastic presence, and plunder her pretty mouth with kisses right there in the kitchen.

  The blood in his veins heated and his temperature climbed with every soft brush of her hand until Adam thought he might combust.

  He tried chasing his thoughts another direction, to work up some worry about the man out to grab Toby, or how they’d work things out when it was time for him to return to Portland. Try as he might to focus on something worrisome, he kept coming back around to how much he enjoyed Tia touching his skin, how much he wanted her to touch him all over.

  He’d thought about stopping by the doctor’s office earlier that morning when he was shoveling the boardwalk, but he decided he’d much rather have Tia remove the stitches.

  During their childhood, she’d always liked to doctor the scrapes and cuts he and Carl sustained in their daily rough and tumble play. She’d never once turned away from a wound, no matter how much it might make other girls squirm.

  Right now, though, Adam was the one who felt like squirming. If she didn’t finish and fast, he shouldn’t be held at fault for anything that might happen. The idea of resuming where they’d left off the other night before the cat scared them both half to death held a great deal of appeal.

  Adam glanced over at Crabby napping in his box near the stove. The cat had pranced around the house the morning after he used Adam’s head as a jumping off point as though he’d done nothing wrong.

  Perhaps divine intervention had caused the cat to make his presence known at such an inopportune moment. If he’d had even a few more uninterrupted minutes with Tia, Adam knew he wouldn’t still be sleeping alone in the guest room. Instead, he’d be cuddled up close to the beautiful woman worrying her very kissable bottom lip.

  Raw hunger for her filled him as she smoothly pulled out the last of his stitches.

  Relieved when she finished, Adam patted Toby on the head and allowed the boy to examine the holes left behind in his skin before Tia attempted to place a bandage over it.

  He slid off the counter and pushed her hand away. “It’ll be fine, Tia. Thank you for doing that for me.”

  On his way out of the kitchen, Adam grabbed his clothes and sauntered down the hall.

  A short while later, he reappeared dressed in a fresh shirt and a clean pair of canvas trousers. He carried Toby’s boat book and two yard-long lengths of rope, leaving them on the small bench by the door.

  At Tia’s perplexed look, Adam tipped his head toward Toby. “Alex asked if I’d speak to the students this afternoon
about what it’s like to be a pilot on the Columbia River. I wondered if you and Toby would like to go along.”

  “Oh, yes, Mama! Please? May we go?” Toby ran across the kitchen and tugged on her apron as she placed the last sheet of cookies into the oven.

  “I suppose that would be fine,” Tia smiled at Toby then glanced at Adam. “Are you sure we won’t be in the way?”

  “Not at all. In fact, Alex was the one who suggested Toby might like to visit the school.” Adam lifted a hot cookie from the baking sheet Tia had just removed from the oven and juggled the cookie in his hand until it was cool enough to take a bite.

  Toby started to reach for one and Adam realized he’d have to be more careful about what he did since the child mimicked his every move.

  “Here, son, let’s share this one,” Adam said, breaking the cookie in half and handing part of it to Toby.

  Tia glared at him then released a sigh. “You’ll spoil his lunch.”

  “Oh, I don’t think part of one cookie will do him any lasting harm.” Adam placed a hand on Toby’s shoulder and gave him a slight nudge toward the door. “Why don’t the two of us go outside while your mama finishes baking her cookies?”

  “Okay!” Toby grabbed his coat and ran out the door while Adam gathered the child’s mittens, hat and scarf.

  He winked at Tia as he opened the door. “If we stay out of your hair for a while, will you let me snitch more cookies after lunch?”

  “Only if you’re a good boy.” Tia waved her mixing spoon at him as she washed a few dishes.

  “I’m always good, Mrs. Guthry. And if you give me the chance to get you alone, I’ll show you just how outstandingly amazing I can be.”

  Shocked by his words, Tia blushed as Adam shut the door.

  After lunch, Adam kept an eye on Toby while Tia changed her dress and combed her hair. When she breezed into the parlor, he gave her a long once-over before nodding his head in approval. He held her coat as she slipped it on, letting his fingers caress her neck and linger on her shoulders much longer than necessary.

  While he helped Toby put on his hat and mittens, Tia pinned a fashionable hat on her head that matched the dark green of her coat.

  Adam smiled and offered his arm to her as the three of them walked down the front steps and headed through town toward the school.

  As they strolled along, Adam bent his head down and stirred the tendrils of hair she’d left dancing around her ear. “You are quite ravishing, Tia.”

  She turned to smile at him and discovered his face remarkably close to hers. “Thank you, kind sir. You are quite handsome.”

  Tia loved the rugged appearance of her husband. His navy coat only accentuated his tall, solidly built form. As she’d come to expect, he’d left his hat at the house, but he wore a scarf at his throat although he hadn’t slipped on his gloves.

  His tanned face and white teeth created a mesmerizing contrast when he smiled a smile made for charming softhearted women. She fought down the urge to taste the dimples in his cheeks and linger over that square chin.

  Disturbed by her thoughts, Tia turned her attention back to her son. He held onto her other hand and chatted non-stop about Erin, the Christmas program at church, the Christmas Carnival, and pondering if Santa would bring him what he wished for.

  “Do you know what he wants for Christmas?” Adam whispered as Toby waved to Aleta Bruner when they entered the mercantile.

  “He wouldn’t tell me, just said he sent his wishes to Santa Claus. I’m not even sure what he meant by that.” Tia replied as she turned to greet Aleta.

  Adam picked up a box Aleta had ready for him, thanked her, and ushered Tia and Toby back outside.

  Tia stared at the box in his hand, but didn’t ask what was in it as they finished the walk to the school.

  Adam opened the door and waited while Tia and Toby stepped inside out of the cold. The three of them stood at the back of the classroom while all eyes turned their direction.

  Alex smiled and hurried toward them. “Oh, I’m so glad you came.” She hugged Tia and Toby then placed a hand on Adam’s arm. “I’ve been telling the students about your work, Adam. They are quite interested to hear more about it from you.”

  Adam helped Tia remove her coat then took off his, leaving them on hooks by the door. He picked up the things he’d brought along and followed Alex to the front of the room.

  “Class, please welcome Mr. Guthry. I think most of you know him. For those who do not, Adam is my husband’s brother.” Alex smiled at him and motioned for Adam to take a seat at her desk.

  He shook his head and remained standing in front of it. “Hello, students.”

  “Hello, Mr. Guthry.” The class smiled at him, eager to discover more about his work.

  Adam talked about how he came to be a pilot on the river, about the dangers involved, and the long hours he worked. He used Toby’s picture book to show them the different types of vessels he guided from the bar on the coast to Portland and ports further inland.

  “Have you ever been in a shipwreck?” Tom Grove asked from his seat at the back of the room.

  “I have, Tom. Experience doesn’t make it any easier.”

  “Did you get hurt?” A little girl in the front row asked.

  Adam smiled at her and nodded his head. “I sure did.”

  “Did you get any scars?” Percy Bruner asked from his seat beside Anna Jenkins.

  “I’ve picked up a few,” Adam said.

  Tia had noticed several scars Adam didn’t have as a young man. She assumed the nasty scar on his back and the long, thin line that crossed his mid-section, as if something had attempted to gut him, came from his work. However, she never imagined he’d been in a shipwreck.

  “Can we see one?” another boy asked.

  “Class, I don’t think…” Alex stepped forward but Adam gave her a look that let her know he didn’t mind their questions.

  Adam rolled up his shirtsleeve to reveal his bicep and showed them a jagged scar across the flesh.

  “What happened?” Anna Jenkins asked with round eyes.

  “The steam engine blew up in a ship I was on. I woke up in the hospital a little worse for wear, but happy to be alive.” Ready to change the subject, Adam picked up the two lengths of rope he’d brought along and showed the students how to tie several knots. He invited Toby to the front of the room and asked the little boy to demonstrate his knot-tying skill.

  Toby beamed with pride as Adam complimented him on tying a perfect knot.

  “Many times, the boats I pilot carry cargo from faraway places,” Adam said, digging into the box he picked up at the mercantile. He’d asked Aleta to fill it with a variety of imported spices. He lifted a stick of cinnamon. Closing his eyes, he held it beneath his nose and sniffed, then handed it to one of the children in the front row to pass around the room.

  “One of my favorite things about the cargo ships is being able to smell the spices. Did you know cinnamon comes from a type of evergreen with a soft bark? It is originally from a small island near India, but the Egyptians imported cinnamon from China. Ancient Romans held cinnamon sacred. I’ve even read that Emperor Nero burned a year’s supply of cinnamon at his wife’s funeral.”

  Engaged by the story, the students passed around the cinnamon while Adam lifted a knobby root from the box.

  “Ginger was first cultivated by the Chinese and growers in India. It was one of the spices that led to the opening of spice trade routes.” Adam passed around the root then lifted out a few star-shaped spices. He held them in the palm of his hand as he walked around the room. “Star anise is the fruit of a small tree native to China. The seedpods give the fruit its distinctive shape.”

  He showed them nutmeg, cloves, and bay leaves then grinned as he pulled a peppermint stick from the box. “Peppermint is a cross between watermint and spearmint. The plant is indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, although it can grow most anywhere. Mint leaves can be used for tea or to garnish a fancy meal.” Adam l
ooked at Tia and winked. “The oil from the leaves can also be extracted and used for a number of purposes. My favorite use is peppermint sticks.”

  Adam passed around a tin of candy and each student received a peppermint stick.

  He nodded to Alex and she stepped beside him. “Well, class, wasn’t that wonderful of Mr. Guthry to bring you all a treat?”

  “Thank you, Mr. Guthry,” the students said in unison.

  “You’re welcome.” Adam picked up Toby’s book and the rope he’d brought along. “A word of caution — do not practice tying knots on anything but a piece of old string or rope. You might end up out in the woodshed if you do. Toby and I discovered that the hard way.”

  Tia blushed as he stared at her and the older students laughed. Adam helped her on with her coat, tugged on his own then waved to Alex and the students as they stepped outside.

  Toby skipped along beside them, sucking on his peppermint stick.

  “Where’s your candy, Mrs. Guthry?” Adam asked as they strolled toward the center of town. He popped a piece from a broken peppermint stick into his mouth.

  “I didn’t take a piece, but it was so kind of you to buy candy for the class, Adam.” A saucy grin highlighted her high cheekbones as she glanced at her husband. “I’m sure Alex will appreciate all those sticky hands and faces. You certainly know how to endear yourself to the relatives, don’t you?”

  Adam sucked on the candy in his mouth. “Don’t you remember how hard it was to sit in class and pay attention the week before Christmas. We would have welcomed any kind of interruption, especially one that involved candy.”

  “Agreed.” Tia squeezed his burly upper arm with both hands, unsettled by the strength she felt through his coat sleeve. Hastily shifting her thoughts away from his physique, she smiled at Toby as he ran ahead and glanced back at them. “Where did you learn so much about all those different spices?”

  “Oh, you pick up tidbits here and there,” Adam said, waving for Toby to draw closer as the boy raced ahead of them. “When I’m not out on a boat, I do a little reading.”

  “I have a hard time picturing you quietly sitting in a parlor reading a book. I don’t think you can sit still for that long.”