The Christmas Vow (17 page)

As they stepped inside, the scents of various types of wood mingled with the furniture polish and varnish Blake used on his creations.

“This is impressive.” Adam glanced around the large space, taking in the finished pieces, the works in progress, and the stacks of wood ready to be used for furniture and some of Blake’s other projects.

The aromas of nuts, popcorn, and cherries, with hints of pine tantalized Adam’s nose as they approached the stacks of wood. Adam leaned closer and breathed deeply of the faint aroma of roses.

“What’s that wood?” Adam pointed to a fragrant, slightly pink-hued board.

“Rosewood. Smells good, doesn’t it?” Blake lifted a piece of wood and handed it to Adam. He sniffed it again, enjoying the light fragrance.

While he laid it on a stack of wood, Blake picked up another board from a stack along the wall and handed it him. Adam took a deep breath and coughed, covering his nose. “That’s awful. It smells worse than a sun-baked dead fish, and I’ve had plenty of experience with those.”

“Red oak. It does not have a pleasant smell, but it is a beautiful wood.” Blake took the board from Adam and set it back on the pile. “Now, let’s talk about that project you want to work on.”

Adam removed two pieces of paper from his coat pocket and smoothed them out on Blake’s workbench.

“I want to make this for Toby.” Adam tapped his finger on a drawing of a boat. He pointed to the second drawing. “And this other project will be a surprise for Tia.”

“Let’s do Tia’s first,” Blake said, studying the drawing. “I’ve got some cherry wood already cut that should work perfectly.”

Adam nodded his head. “I appreciate your assistance with this, Blake. I could make them without your help, but since I’m short on time with Christmas approaching next week, I need to hurry up and get these finished.”

“My pleasure,” Blake said, setting several small pieces of cherry wood on his workbench. “I’ve never made a boat like the one you’ve planned, so it’ll be an interesting challenge for us both.”

With Blake’s tools and talents they finished the surprise for Tia in an hour. After staining the wood and setting it aside to dry, they started working on Toby’s boat.

Using oak for the frame and cedar for the planks, it quickly took shape.

Before he left for the day, Adam gave Tia’s gift a coat of varnish then wiped off his hands. After thanking Ginny for lunch and Blake for his help, he walked the short distance back to town.

Whistling a holiday tune as he strode down Main Street, Adam took a moment to admire the festive atmosphere with so many of the businesses and homes festooned with wreaths, garlands, and bows.

Suddenly realizing Tia had yet to adorn the house for the holiday, Adam wondered if she had any decorations.

Rather than heading straight home, he made a detour by the mercantile. The bell above the door jingled, announcing his presence as he stepped inside the store. The scent of apples and cinnamon greeted him, and he took a deep breath.

“There’s cider bubbling on the stove back there, Adam, if you’d like a cup.” Aleta Bruner smiled at him as she walked out of the storeroom to stand behind the counter.

“It smells mighty good, Aleta, but I’ll pass. I’m looking for a little Christmas cheer to take home to Tia and Toby.” Adam smiled as Percy Bruner ran inside and slammed the door behind him.

“Son, how many times have I asked you not to slam that door?” Aleta shook her finger in the direction of the rambunctious boy.

“Probably almost as many times as you’ve told me not to run inside, whistle in the house, or snitch candy right before dinner.” Percy grinned at his mother and doffed his hat. His bright red hair stood every which direction.

Adam hid a smile as Aleta threw her hands up in the air, piqued. “Run along upstairs, Percy, and finish your homework before supper.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Percy nodded to his mother then smiled at Adam. “Have a nice evenin’, Mr. Guthry.”

“You as well, Percy.” Adam watched the boy start to run to the back room then slow to a walk when his mother loudly cleared her throat.

As Percy clattered up the stairs, Aleta sighed. “I swear, that boy of mine would deplete the patience of St. Peter himself.”

Arlan chuckled. “He’s a good boy, Aleta. Alex speaks quite highly of him.”

Aleta beamed and nodded her head. “I know it, but sometimes…” The woman snapped her mouth shut and looked at Adam. “Now, you said you want to take home something with a bit of Christmas cheer?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Aleta stepped around the counter. “I’ve got just the thing. These arrived yesterday, but I’ve already sold three of them.” She picked up a footlong sleigh, decorated with a lithograph of Santa driving two reindeer pasted to the side. Although simple, Adam knew Toby would love it.

“Can you fill that open section with nuts?” Adam asked as he nodded to Aleta.

“I certainly can. Would you like any type in particular, or a variety?”

“A variety, I think. Tia used to love almonds, but I’m not sure what Toby likes.”

Aleta nodded and quickly filled the little sleigh with an assortment of nuts. Adam had her add a nutcracker, in case Tia didn’t have one, then Aleta tied a bright red bow around it.

“That’s perfect, thank you.” Adam smiled as he paid her then tipped his hat. “Have a pleasant evening.”

“You as well, Adam. Give Tia my regards.”

“I will. Good night.”

Adam hurried home from the store and stamped his boots twice on the back step before opening the kitchen door to a subdued Toby pouting at the table and Tia near tears.

The accusing glare she tossed at him brought Adam up short as he shut the door and set the sleigh on top of the icebox while he removed his outerwear.

“What’s going on in here?” Adam picked up Toby when the boy ran over to him and lifted his arms.

Gently patting the child’s back, he moved over to where Tia sat with Crabby on her lap. The cat growled as she tried to work out a knot tied in his tail.

A quick look around revealed Toby had spent the day practicing his knot-tying skills.

Chapter Sixteen

 “Oh, Toby.” Adam muttered, doing his best to hide his mirth.

“Mama hollered at me.” The little boy buried his face against Adam’s neck and sniffed. “Just ‘cause I tied a little ol’ knot in Crabby’s tail. The kitty didn’t care.”

Tia glowered at Adam as she tugged on the knot and the cat growled at her again.

“Here, let me help.” Quickly setting Toby down, he picked up the cat. Adam rubbed his hand over Crabby’s head and scratched behind his ears. Once the cat started to purr, he turned so Tia could work the knot out of his tail.

“From now on, little man, no tying knots on living things, okay?” Adam gave Toby a stern glance.

The child sniffled again. “I didn’t mean to be bad.” A big tear rolled down his cheek, followed by another while his lips quivered. “I think I better go to bed without my supper.”

“Let’s not get carried away.” Encouragingly, Adam smiled at Toby. “Did you learn your lesson?”

Tears filled his eyes as Toby nodded.

“You might have hurt Crabby by tying his tail in a knot, so you won’t do anything like that again, will you?” Adam asked.

Toby rapidly shook his head.

“All right, then.”

Toby pointed to Tia. “But I hurt Mama.”

Adam glanced down at Tia as she worked the knot free. “Are you hurt, Tia?”

She shrugged as he set the cat in its box. “Crabby dug his claws in a few times, that’s all.”

Adam took her hands in his and examined them, but didn’t see any scratches.

Toby pointed to Tia. “He scratched her legs, Daddy.”

Adam shot his wife a devilish smile as he swept her into his arms. Before she could protest, he set her on the counter and pushed up her skirts.

“Stop that, this instant!” She swatted at his hands, making Toby giggle. When she leaned around Adam and pinned him with a frosty glare, the boy grew silent.

“You let me worry about those scratches, Adam Guthry.” Tia smacked his hand again and jumped off the counter. She turned to her son. “As for you, young man, the only thing I better catch you tying knots in from now on is that old rope Adam gave you for practicing. Is that clear?”

Slowly, Toby nodded his head.

Tia waggled a finger in the direction of the hall. “Now go wash your hands and face while I get supper on the table.”

When Toby left the room, Tia blew a breath of air between her lips and leaned against the counter before scowling darkly at Adam. “This is all your fault.”

Adam slapped a hand to his chest and offered her a look of innocence. “My fault? What did I do? I’ve been gone all day.”

“You…” Tia took a step forward and shook a finger in his face. “You, Mr. Guthry, taught him how to tie all those stupid knots. Just look what you’ve done!”

She pointed to the curtains by the kitchen sink that had been tied together in a basic knot. As Adam looked around the room, he noticed Tia had decorated for Christmas, yet the ribbons she’d draped around the doorway bore a series of knots as high up as Toby could reach.

“He tied my yarn into a jumbled mess, my dishtowels into a wad, and…” Tia huffed indignantly, “you should see what he’s done to my silk stockings.”

Adam entirely liked the idea of seeing Tia’s stockings, especially if they encased her shapely legs.

“I’m sorry, Queenie. I had no idea he’d practice tying knots on everything within reach. If it makes you feel any better, he’s done a bang-up job of it, though. He’s tied a few knots better than some of the men I work with.” Adam lifted one of the knot-ridden ribbons and admired the bowline knot.

A grunt of disapproval made him drop the ribbon and turn back to Tia.

“I promise Toby and I will set everything to rights after supper. May I help with anything right now?”

“Not until you go wash up.” Tia waved a spoon at him. “And tell Toby to quit dawdling. He can set the table.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Adam refrained from saying anything further to Toby about the knots as they ate.

As soon as they’d finished the meal and helped with the dinner dishes, he made Toby remove every knot he’d tied around the house.

“How come you didn’t help your mama decorate for Christmas today?” Adam asked as they worked the knots out of the fringe on the mantle scarf.

“I did help her,” Toby said, pointing to the paper snowflakes dangling from silver thread in the front windows.

“We made snowflakes, and put the garland on the fireplace, and hung a wreath on the front door. Mama said she’d ask you to climb up in the attic to bring down the rest of the decorations.” Toby leaned closer to Adam and lowered his voice. “She’s scared to go up there.”

Adam grinned. Tia had never liked going into the attic of the house, convinced ghosts or spiders lived up there, just waiting to terrorize her.

One year, after Tia had read about Charles Dickens’ ghosts, Adam and Carl snuck up to the attic and banged around. Of course, her grandmother was in on the ruse, asking Tia to run up there to bring down an old hatbox she needed.

With no small degree of trepidation, Tia slowly made her way up the attic stairs. Adam hid behind an old trunk while Carl ducked under a sheet covering a rocking chair with a broken back.

Stepping away from the safety of the stairs with great hesitation, Tia’s eyes darted around the room, searching for the hatbox her grandmother wanted.

After unearthing a discarded fur coat that looked like it had been chewed on by a dog, Adam pulled it over his head and snuck around to the stairs while Carl set the rocking chair into motion.

The steady creak of the wood caught Tia’s attention and she turned around, staring at the chair with eyes as wide as bread plates.

Adam bit his lip to keep from laughing when Carl rose out of the chair, shrouded with the sheet, making ghostly, ghastly sounds.

Tia spun around and nearly plowed right over Adam in her haste to get away from the ghost until she decided a bear had inhabited the space.

Screams cut through the dusty attic air. She somehow leaped past Adam and raced down the stairs, screeching like a banshee.

Carl and Adam tossed aside their coverings and laughed so hard they tumbled down the stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom.

Once Tia realized who had frightened her so badly, she pummeled them both until her grandmother finally made her stop.

Evidently, Tia had never recovered from her fear of the attic.

“Your mama always was scared of the attic. I’ll bring the rest of the things down later.” Adam smiled at the boy as they finished untying the last of the knots in the parlor. “Okay, little man. Anywhere else you tied knots today?”

Toby nodded his head and took Adam’s hand, leading him down the hallway to Tia’s bedroom. He pushed open the door then walked over to the bed. Silk stockings were heaped into a pile of twisted knots.

Adam picked up two stockings and admired the fine job Toby had done in executing a perfect sheet bend knot, looping them together. Proud of the child’s skill, Adam tamped down his eagerness to praise Toby and instead studied the bit of silk in his hand. He worked the knot free, but in the process, the stocking had multiple pulls in it from his rough hands.

“You know what, Toby. I think we may have to buy your mama new stockings.”

The boy’s lip stuck out in a pout again. “I didn’t mean to ruin Mama’s things. I’m sorry.” Toby sniffled and leaned against Adam’s leg.

Adam picked up the child and rubbed his back. “You learned an important lesson you won’t soon forget, though. Right? No more tying knots on anything except your rope.”

“I won’t forget, Daddy.” Toby gave him a solemn look. “I promise.”

“I trust you, Toby.” Adam glanced around the room and held back a bark of laughter at the corset strings Toby had tied in a knot around the bedpost — with the corset still attached.

He set the boy down and quickly loosened the knots, then studied the pale green brocade garment in his hand. Curious what it would be like to see Tia wearing it and a pair of those silk stockings, his temperature climbed. He tossed the corset onto the bed and took Toby by the hand.

“Anything else you got into today?”

Toby shook his head.

“All right, then. It’s off to bed for you.”

Toby took a step toward his bedroom then glanced back at Adam. “Will you tuck me in and tell me another story about one of the boats you’ve been on?”

“I sure will, son. Hurry and get ready for bed.”

The little boy rushed into his room to put on his nightshirt then raced down the hall to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Adam supervised the process, although he didn’t offer any help. Like his mother, Toby was incredibly independent and liked to do things for himself.

“I want Mama to tuck me in, too,” Toby said as he ran down the hall toward the parlor.

Adam watched as Tia returned with Toby. She ignored him as she entered the child’s room and tucked him into bed.

“You sit right there, Mama,” Toby said, patting her hand. He pointed to the other side of his bed. “And you sit here, Daddy.”

Adam moved inside the room and walked around the boy’s bed, sitting on the opposite side of Tia.

When she looked over at him, he winked and the barest hint of a smile touched her lips. Adam studied the contours of her mouth, wondering if she’d taste like summer peaches — ripe and sweet.

Distracted by thoughts of his lovely bride, Adam felt a tug on his hand as Toby drew him back to the moment. “I’m ready for my story, now.”

“Let’s see, a story about a boat…” Adam appeared thoughtful as he rubbed his chin and stared at a painting on the wall of a boy pulling a boat by a string. He cleared his throat and smiled at Toby. “There once was a beautiful little boat. It was sleek, strong, and fast.  It outran all the other boats on the river.”

“What color was the boat?” Toby asked, settling deeper into his pillow.

“Blue, like the sky overhead.” Adam smiled at the child, knowing that was his favorite color. “The beautiful little blue boat would speed through the water so fast, it looked like a streak of light as it passed the older, slower boats poking along. Sometimes the little boat teased and taunted the bigger slow-moving boats. One day, as the beautiful little blue boat rushed from one harbor to another, a big, ugly boat rammed into it on purpose. It broke the little boat, smashing it into pieces.”

“Oh, no!” Toby sat up, eyes wide with fear. “What happened?”

Adam gently pushed Toby back down in the bed and brushed at the cowlick ever at odds with the rest of his hair. “Well, the pieces of the little boat drifted to the shore for miles. But a kind man, the man who built the little boat, carefully gathered each one. He hauled them all back to his workshop. He worked and worked until he’d rebuilt the little boat. When he finished, he painted it blue, with a bright red stripe down the side. He took the little blue boat back to the river. It bobbed in the water for a while, getting used to the feel of it again, before it once again raced down the river, happy as it could be.”

“I’m glad the little blue boat could sail again.” Toby’s eyes drifted shut.

“Me, too, little man. Now go to sleep.” Adam leaned over and kissed Toby’s forehead.

“I love you, Daddy,” Toby whispered.

Adam’s heart clenched and he swallowed hard. “I love you too, Toby. Sleep well, son.”

“Night, Mama.”

“Good night, baby.” Tia leaned over and kissed Toby’s cheek before she stood and adjusted his covers. Adam joined her in the doorway as they watched Toby turn onto his side and fall asleep.

Quietly closing the door partway, Tia returned to the parlor. She sat down and picked up the knitting needles she’d set aside when Toby asked her to tuck him into bed.

Adam sat across from her in a chair by the fire and watched the needles clack back and forth, reflecting spears of firelight.

“What are you making?” he finally asked, fascinated by the speed with which her fingers flew. He didn’t remember Tia ever sitting still long enough to learn any skills like knitting, crocheting or needlepoint when he’d known her before. The talents she acquired had to come after she’d wed Patrick Devereux.

“A scarf for Alex,” Tia said, holding up dark red ball of yarn. “I already made one for Arlan. I wasn’t sure what would be a proper gift to give them.”

“They’ll appreciate anything you make,” Adam assured her, leaning back in the chair.

“Did I see you bring home something earlier?” Tia asked without glancing up.

“I did. I’ll fetch it.” Adam retrieved the sleigh from the kitchen and set it down on the low table in front of the couch.

“Oh, Adam, it’s darling. It looks perfect right there. What a thoughtful gift.” Tia set aside the knitting and dropped to her knees in front of the table.

Adam noticed her wince and put a hand on her back as he leaned down to look into her face. “What hurts, Tia? I know something did.”

“It’s nothing,” she said, rising to her feet and wincing again.