The Christmas Vow Read online

  Politely, Tia tipped her head, pleased by his compliment. A black velvet brocade jacket topped her red plaid skirt, accented by the bright red gloves on her hands. She’d fastened a smart little black hat with a cluster of red satin roses on top of her head while a red scarf encircled her neck.

  “In fact, wife of mine, you are charmingly perfect and astoundingly lovely in your skating outfit.”

  Adam skated another circle around her, offering her a grin so full of boyish appeal, for a moment she felt seventeen again.

  “You don’t look bad yourself, Mr. Guthry.” Tia admired the way Adam’s shoulders filled out his double-breasted navy pea coat. Rather than denims, as he often wore, he had on a pair of tan canvas trousers. He’d left his hat at home. His thick tousled hair drew her interest, as did the sparkling blue of his eyes, enhanced by the sapphire-hued scarf around his neck. “You’ve grown into a very handsome man, Adam.”

  He stopped skating and stared at her a moment. Flustered by his intent perusal that started at her head and went to the tips of her skates, she reached out a hand to him. “Since you’re an old married man now, you’re stuck skating with me today, sailor. Come on. Take me for a spin across the ice.”

  “I thought you’d never start making demands, Queenie.” Adam winked then moved behind her, settling one hand on her waist while holding her hand with his other. They both slid their right foot forward, skating in unison around the pond.

  “This is nice.” Tia wasn’t sure if he heard her over the noise around them, but his hand tightened ever so slightly on her waist and he pulled her closer against him.

  Lost in dreams, she closed her eyes and allowed him to glide her around the pond. Unexpectedly, someone crashed into their legs and knocked their feet out from beneath them.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Guthry, Mr. Guthry. I’m not very good at this yet.” One of Alex’s students struggled to get to her feet.

  Adam stood and gave Tia a hand, making sure she was uninjured before assisting the girl. He offered Tia an inquisitive glance, seeking permission to help the teen. Tia nodded, impressed Adam had sought her approval.

  “Here, let me give you a few pointers,” Adam said, taking the girl’s hand in his and showing her how to glide instead of trying to walk on her skates. He took her for a spin around the pond then returned to Tia as she made her way over to her son. Toby and Erin continued to take a few steps and fall on their rumps.

  “At this rate, our boy won’t be able to sit down for a week,” Adam mused as he watched Toby take another spill.

  Tia’s heart filled to overflowing at Adam’s reference to Toby as “our boy.” He cared for her son as he would his own.

  Adam grabbed her hand and tugged her along behind him. “I’ve got an idea.” After snatching two of the pillows Ginny had placed on a bench for some of the older women to sit on, he secured them to Erin and Toby by tying a thin rope around their waists.

  “But, Mama, this is dumb,” Toby whined as Adam tied Erin’s rope.

  “Oh, just give it a try, son,” Tia encouraged.

  Resigned to wearing the ridiculous cushion, Toby took a few faltering steps and fell backward onto the pillow. As it cushioned his fall, he grinned at Erin.

  “It’s fun, Erin! Give it a try!”

  The little girl took a few faltering steps and fell, giggling as she bounced on the pillow.

  Adam placed his hand on Tia’s waist and bent down by her ear. “Should we give them some skating lessons or just let them play.”

  “For today, let them play. We can teach them another time when there aren’t so many around. With the skating rink open in town, this shouldn’t be such a novelty,” Tia mused as Adam guided her back onto the pond.

  As their blades cut across the ice with a smooth whoosh, whooshing sound, Tia smiled. It reminded her of the many times she, Carl, and Adam had skated together. Only Carl wasn’t the one she wanted to hold her hand or her heart. Always and forever, it had been Adam.

  Beneath the shadow of her long eyelashes, she glanced up at her husband. The firm outline of his jaw, strong chin, and the puckish look of his face when he grinned filled her with admiration.

  As long as she could remember, Tia had loved the dimples in his cheeks. His smile made him appear so lovable and playful. Yet, as she studied him, she admitted Adam possessed raw, rugged masculinity.

  Bliss settled over Tia — pure, sweet bliss at skating around the pond on a wintery afternoon with the man she wholeheartedly loved.

  “You’re awfully quiet, Miss Queenie. What’s rattling around in that pretty head of yours?” Adam asked, turning her in his arms so he skated backward and could see her face.

  “According to what you and Carl always told me, a bucket full of beans with a few rocks thrown in for good measure.” Tia grinned as Adam chuckled.

  “We did tease you a lot, didn’t we.”

  Tia rolled her eyes. “All the time. In fact, I’m not certain the two of you were ever serious.”

  “Oh, we had our moments.” Adam turned again, skating beside her as he held both her hands in his. “Do you remember the spring social when you wore that peach-colored dress?”

  Heat filled Tia’s cheeks as she recalled one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. “How could I forget?”

  “Well, you did make an impression on everyone there.” Adam laughed as memories washed over him. “Tell me again how it all transpired.”

  “You know good and well what happened, and it was partially your fault,” Tia accused, shooting Adam a reproachful glare.

  “Aw, come on and tell me anyway,” he coaxed, kissing her cheek.

  Distracted by Adam’s kiss, she almost lost her footing, but he held her steady. She glanced over her shoulder at him and he offered her a rakish grin. “Go on, Tia, tell me the story.”

  “Fine,” she huffed. “I wanted a new dress for the spring social and Grandma told me I had to make it myself. You know how much I hated sewing.”

  Adam smirked. “Almost as much as you hated losing a contest to me or Carl.”

  “Exactly. Anyway, she helped me cut out the pattern and offered suggestions as I sewed that blasted dress, but she didn’t make a single stitch on it. That was a year or two before she bought a sewing machine so every single seam had to be sewn by hand. I worked on that thing for two weeks. I ripped out the seam in the back so many times, I thought I might wear out the fabric. The day of the social, I still hadn’t finished it so I decided it wouldn’t hurt anything to run a quick basting stitch through the last few seams instead of sewing it properly. Out of pity, Grandma sewed on the lace trim and ribbons while I took a bath and got ready.”

  “And you were as pretty as a just-picked summer peach when you walked into ol’ man Luther’s barn. I thought I was gonna have to wallop every unmarried man there, from school boys to adults, for the way they ogled you.” Adam leaned a little closer to her ear. “There wasn’t a thing in this whole world sweeter than the way you looked strolling into that barn, standing near the door in a ray of afternoon sunshine. Your hair was pulled back with a matching ribbon and I could have kissed the living daylights out of you.”

  Shocked by Adam’s confession, Tia glanced over her shoulder to see if he was joking. The sincerity on his face and the glow in his eyes told her he spoke the truth. “I had no idea, Adam.”

  “How could you not know, Tia? It was pitiful how infatuated I was with you back then. Carl hounded me about it all the time.”

  Tia could easily picture Carl tormenting Adam. “He did not.”

  “He did. That’s the truth. Ask Arlan if you don’t believe me.” Adam squeezed her waist again. “Now, go on with the story, if you please.”

  “Where was I…? Oh, so Grandma sewed the trim on the dress while I got ready then hurried out to Mr. Luther’s farm. You and Carl were both in fine form, dancing me around the barn, teasing me mercilessly, flirting with every girl there.”

  “I did not!”

  “You did, too, and
you know it.” Tia giggled. “I wanted to snatch all the other girls bald-headed for flirting back. Anyway, you and Carl both decided to dance with me at the same time. Rather than take a turn, you each pulled on an arm and the sleeves ripped right out of my dress. You two fell back, and my flimsy seams gave way. The bodice dropped forward and there I was, in that barn full of people, in my ruined dress with my chemise showing. You and Carl stood there like two idiots, staring at the dress sleeves you held in your hands while I thought I might die of humiliation.”

  “I came to your rescue.” Adam guided her around three teen boys who’d fallen in a heap.

  Tia giggled. “You grabbed an old horse blanket and wrapped it around me. Even if I’d wanted to repair the dress and wear it again, which I didn’t, it smelled like Mr. Luther’s old nag.”

  Adam laughed. “But it was a memorable dance.”

  “No doubt about that,” Tia said, releasing a breath in the frosty air. “The spring social was the last time I wore anything in that color, too.”

  Unhurried, he leaned forward until his breath brushed across her neck. In a deep tone that made shivers of pleasure trickle over her, he whispered in her ear. “Maybe you should rethink that decision, Queenie. That color was made to be worn by you.”

  She glanced back at him and he nodded, flashing his dimples at her. “I’m not saying all your fancy gowns don’t look nice, because they absolutely do. However, the next time you need a new dress, consider that color. Or…” Adam paused and quirked an eyebrow suggestively, “you could just wear your underthings. In fact, I’d be happy with nothing at all.”

  A blush started at her neck and seared across her cheeks at his flirtatious and somewhat scandalous words.

  Before she could scold him for being so outrageous, Toby skated toward them with Erin.

  “Hi, Mama!” Toby grinned broadly. “See us! See us skate!”

  “I do see you, sweetheart. Are you having fun?”

  Erin took a tumble, landing on her pillow-covered bottom. Toby managed to stay upright and held out his hand to help her.

  Adam smiled at Tia, proud over the boy’s nice manners.

  “I’m ready for some of those refreshments,” Adam said, pointing to the table where women served cake, pie, cookies, and hot cider.

  “Me, too,” Toby agreed, taking hold of Adam’s hand while Erin clung to Tia’s. The two children wanted cookies and clomped through the snow on their skates to eat them with their friends.

  Adam chose a generous slice of the gingerbread cake Tia brought while she took a piece of chocolate cake Filly had made.

  “Umm, this is good.” Adam pointed to the moist, spice-laden cake with his fork. “I’m partial to any sort of spice cake. I almost asked if you’d let me lick the bowl this morning when you mixed up the batter.”

  Amused, Tia smiled at her husband. “You should have asked. I would have let you. Toby isn’t fond of cinnamon, so I generally make something he prefers, but I’m glad you told me it’s something you enjoy. I recall you used to hog all the cinnamon cookies when Grandma made them.”

  “I’d forgotten about her cookies.” Adam’s face held an endearing, imploring grin when he looked at her. “I don’t suppose you have her recipe.”

  “I may.” Tia gave him an impish smile. “And if you can behave yourself and not get into any mischief for at least one whole day, I might even make some for you.”

  In mock dismay, Adam took a step away from her. “Are you implying I’m anything but good and can’t stay out of trouble?”

  Tia pretended to consider his question and tapped her gloved finger against her chin. “Hmm. Let’s review your past week, shall we? You were shot, had a dozen stitches, and taught my son to tie knots in everything including poor Crabby’s tail. You’ve teased me without mercy. And don’t think I don’t know who ate the last piece of the toffee Filly gave us.”

  Unaffected by her list of his transgressions, Adam winked at her. “Is that all? I thought you possessed real evidence that I’d been up to no good.”

  Tia released a long-suffering sigh and ate the rest of her cake in silence. She’d just taken the last bite when Luke and Filly walked up to them.

  “Are you two having a good time?” Filly asked, hugging Tia around the shoulders.

  “Yes, we are.” Tia smiled at her friend. “Where’s Maura today?”

  “Ginny asked some of the older girls to take turns watching the little ones in the house. Maura didn’t seem to mind all the extra attention and since the girls are taking turns, none of them miss out on all the fun with the rest of us.” Filly winked at Tia and leaned closer to her as Adam and Luke engaged in a conversation about the booming businesses of hauling freight up and down the Columbia River. “I couldn’t help but notice you and Adam seem to be having a wonderful time. You skate together so well, it almost looks like you practiced.”

  Tia shook her head and set aside her plate. “No, but we used to skate together when we were younger. Adam, Carl, and I spent a lot of time in the winter sledding, skating, and building snow forts.”

  A deep voice spoke beside her, startling her. “While hiding from his dashing and much smarter younger brother.”

  Filly and Tia smiled at Arlan. Tia placed a hand on his arm and offered him a sympathetic smile. “We were ornery to you, Arlan. I’m sorry. I never realized how much it must have hurt your feelings to get left behind so frequently.”

  Arlan grinned. “Truthfully, if I wanted to come along, I would have. Adam just made it sound like I wanted to go and he wouldn’t let me because I preferred to stay home and study. He didn’t think it would help my already bookish reputation if word got out I’d rather sit by the fire and work through a math equation than tag along with you three rabble-rousers. Anytime I asked to go, Adam never said no.”

  The more she learned about Adam, the more she respected, appreciated, and loved him. Despite his teasing ways and reckless tendencies, he had to be the biggest-hearted, kindest man she’d ever encountered.

  Esteem for her husband filled Tia’s smile as she looked to his brother. “It’s a relief to know we never purposely ignored you or cheated you out of fun.”

  Alex nudged her husband’s side. “To hear Arlan tell it, Adam had to practically drag him out of the house after they moved to town. If it wasn’t for Adam’s insistence he needed outdoor stimulation, this one would have turned into a wrinkled prune and withered away.”

  “Now, dear lady, nothing as dire as that would have transpired.” Arlan kissed his wife’s cheek. “You remember how hard it was when Dad died, Tia. Mother didn’t know what to do and took ill. She never was the same after his death. Even though Mother insisted we both finish our schooling, Adam had to grow up quickly and take over many things.”

  “I remember,” Tia said with a wistful hint of sorrow. When Mr. Guthry had been killed in a tragic accident, his wife and sons sold their small farm a few miles outside town and moved into Hardman. While they managed well enough, Adam seemingly left behind his childhood overnight to become the responsible adult in the family. Oh, he still tended to be a tease and prankster, but nothing like he was before his father passed away.

  Adam noticed Arlan and Alex next to Tia and reached out to thump his brother on the shoulder. “I haven’t seen you out there showing off your footwork on the ice, little brother.”

  “And you won’t. You know I never learned to skate as well as you. In fact, Toby and Erin do better than I could.” Arlan pointed to where the two youngsters managed to go several feet before landing on their pillows. “That’s a clever idea. I wish someone had thought to tie a cushion on me as a child. It sure would have saved me some lumps and bumps.”

  “Come on, Arlan. Bring your lumpy, bumpy behind with me and I’ll show you how to skate,” Alex smiled coquettishly at her husband and playfully batted her dark eyelashes at him.

  Arlan winked at Tia. “Be prepared to watch a grown man make a complete fool of himself because a pretty girl flirted with him.�
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  Tia laughed as Alex tugged on his hand, pulling him onto the pond. Despite Arlan’s statement that he couldn’t skate, he did quite well on the ice. Tia recalled him skating with her, Adam, and Carl several times as children.

  She glanced over at Filly. “I adore your skating costume. The green in the plaid sets off your eyes and hair so well.”

  Filly smiled. “And I love your outfit, Tia. The red gloves are the perfect accent, especially against this backdrop of unending white.”

  “We have had more than our share of snow this year, haven’t we?” Tia observed.

  “I’d complain about it, but it is so pretty. I just hope there aren’t any big storms between now and Christmas Eve. Luke’s parents are traveling with Blake’s parents and should be back December twenty-third as long as nothing holds them up.”

  “I’m sure everything will be fine,” Tia said, reaching out to squeeze Filly’s hand.

  Several members of the community band assembled, including Arlan, to play music for a while, until they grew cold.

  “Come on folks! Grab your best gal and take her for a waltz across the ice.” A jolly-faced man led the band in playing Blue Danube.

  “Guess that means you have to dance with me now, Queenie-pie.” Adam took Tia in his arms and swept her around the ice. Several other couples joined in the skating as the youngsters and older folks watched.

  “How is it a man as big and brawny as you can be so graceful on the ice?” Tia asked as Adam flawlessly skated across the frozen pond.

  “Are you hinting that I’m generally an overgrown oaf?” A mischievous light gleamed in his eyes, made even bluer by the winter sky overhead.

  Tia could have easily fallen into the pools she saw there and never found her way out again. Instead, she tipped her head and studied him. “I wasn’t hinting at it, I’ll tell you that to your face.” At his shocked, wounded look, she grinned. “I’m just teasing, sailor. However, I have wondered any number of times in the last few weeks, how a man of your size can move with such elegant ease. You truly are pleasing to watch, Adam.”

  As the words left her mouth, Tia wished she could stuff them back in. With no idea what had come over her, what possessed her to speak so openly to Adam, she looked into his face. Relief calmed her racing pulse as he smiled at her and inclined his head in a polite nod.