The Christmas Vow
Authors: Shanna Hatfield
Hardman Holidays, Book 4
A Sweet Victorian Holiday Romance
by
USA TODAY
Bestselling Author
SHANNA HATFIELD
The Christmas Vow
Copyright © 2015 by Shanna Hatfield
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
For permission requests, please contact the author, with a subject line of "permission request” at the email address below or through her website.
Shanna Hatfield
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Columbia River Pilot Adam Guthry returns to his hometown of Hardman, Oregon, to pay his last respects after the sudden death of his life-long best friend. Emotions he can’t contain bubble to the surface the moment he sees the girl who shattered his heart eleven years ago.
Widow Tia Devereux escapes her restrictive life in Portland, returning to the home she knew and cherished as a girl in Hardman. She and her four-year-old son, Toby, settle into the small Eastern Oregon community, eager for the holiday season. Unfortunately, the only man she’s ever loved shows up, stirring the embers of a long-dead romance into a blazing flame.
When her former father-in-law, a corrupt judge, decides he wants to raise Toby, Adam may be the only hope she has of keeping her son.
~*~
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FICTION
HISTORICAL
Dacey - Bride of North Carolina
Baker City Brides
Pendleton Petticoats
Hardman Holidays
CONTEMPORARY
Rodeo Romance
Grass Valley Cowboys
The Women of Tenacity
NON-FICTION
Fifty Dates with Captain Cavedweller
Savvy Entertaining Series
To those who keep their promises —
no matter what…
Chapter One
Eastern Oregon, 1897
Adam Guthry glared across the sea of mourners at his only sibling and vowed his brother would be the next person the community of Hardman gathered to bury.
Unaware of his wrathful stare, Arlan appeared engrossed in the sermon Pastor Chauncy Dodd delivered over the loss of Carl Simpson.
Carl had been Adam’s best friend since they were five. A year later, they both fell in love with a hazel-eyed beauty that moved to town to live with her grandparents.
That girl, the one he’d spent the majority of his adolescent years planning to marry, stood near his brother, dabbing at her eyes with a delicate handkerchief while clasping the hand of a little boy.
The sight of Tia Devereux and her son sent relentless pain stabbing through Adam’s chest. It was no wonder he’d avoided coming back to his hometown. For him, Hardman held nothing but sad memories and regret.
Slowly shifting his frosty gaze from his brother to the woman who’d effectively destroyed his dreams, he wished Arlan had warned him she was back in town.
The last time Adam had been home was a year and a half earlier when Carl’s wife and baby died during a difficult childbirth. He’d rushed to Hardman from Portland to attend the funeral. One night was all he managed to stay before returning to his job as a boat pilot on the Columbia River.
Unable to shake the melancholy threatening to overtake him, Adam focused his attention on the woman leaning against his brother’s side. He had yet to meet Arlan’s wife, but he’d heard she was brave, strong, and intelligent. The sight of her tall height, black hair, and ruby lips caught him off guard. Alexandra Janowski Guthry had to be one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen.
A palpable energy exuded from her and Adam wondered how his somewhat bookish brother had captured not only her eye, but also her affections. It was blatantly clear the couple shared a deep and abiding love for one another.
“Let us bow our heads in prayer,” Chauncy said. His voice carried over the group, drawing Adam’s thoughts to the pastor.
He recalled school days when Chauncy and Luke Granger pulled any number of pranks. Often, they behaved in such a rambunctious manner, the teacher could barely handle them.
Now, Chauncy was a respected pastor. Luke served as an esteemed member of various committees and boards as well as owning Hardman’s bank, although he’d made Arlan a partner in it last December.
Chauncy finished the service then smiled at Luke and Filly Granger. “Mr. and Mrs. Granger extend an invitation for everyone to join them at Granger House for refreshments. Thank you all for coming out on this cold December day.”
Grateful he’d worn a heavy wool coat and thick scarf, Adam turned the collar of his coat up to block the frigid December wind blowing around them. Snowflakes skittered through the air like dandelion fuzz set free in a summer breeze, making him wonder if the approaching storm might turn into a blizzard.
Snow already blanketed the ground even though it was only the first of December. Piles of it indicated the strong-backed men in town had been busy shoveling it off the boardwalks.
No doubt, Arlan was among those who helped, along with Chauncy, Luke, and Luke’s brother-in-law, Blake Stratton.
As the mourners left, Tia cast him a speculative glance but turned away when he frowned. She led her little boy in the direction of the house she’d lived in with her grandmother until the day she’d left town, ripping his heart into tattered pieces.
Arlan had mentioned Mrs. Meyer passed away in September in his last letter. He failed to state Tia had come home for her grandmother’s funeral and stayed.
Last he’d heard, the high and mighty Tiadora Elizabeth Meyer Devereux lived in one of Portland’s elite neighborhoods. Her father-in-law was a high-powered judge while her mother-in-law was among Portland’s most sought-after members of polite society.
Not that Adam paid any attention to those matters, but he made it a point to discover all he could about Tia when he moved to Portland.
Nearly three years ago, he’d read an article in the newspaper that her husband had been killed in a tragic accident with a runaway buggy. He wondered if Tia still mourned the man or if she’d already given her heart to someone new.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he stood with his cold hands in his pockets as the crowd dispersed. Many walked toward the grand home where Luke and Filly Granger resided on the edge of town.
Arlan hadn’t seen him lingering at the edge of the mourners, so Adam took no slight in his brother walking away without saying hello.
The scowl on his face turned into a dimpled grin as a hand looped around his arm. The smiling face of Ginny Granger Stratton gazed up at him.
“Goodness sakes, Adam. You spent the entire service looking as if you’ve sucked a whole lemon,” Ginny teased as she squeezed his arm. “Did you just get into town?”
Adam reached out and shook the hand her husband extended. “Blake. It’s nice to see you.”
“Likewise, Adam.” Blake held out his arm to Ginny. She wrapped her free hand around it, sandwiching herself between the two men.
Petite and delicate, she was also feisty and full of opinions. “Will you join us at Granger House?”
“Might as well,” Adam said, walking with the couple toward the fancy home her brother owned.
He recalled Ginny and Blake sharing a mutual affection for each other in school. When her family suddenly moved away, she left Blake with a broken heart. It was good to see them together and happy. “And to answer your question, Ginny, I did just get into town. I took the train to Heppner then rented a horse at the livery and rode as fast as I dared to get here in time for the service.”
Ginny patted his arm and offered him a sympathetic glance. “I’m truly sorry about Carl. I know he was a dear friend to you.”
Emotion clogged his throat, so Adam merely nodded his head.
Mindful of lightening the mood, Blake grinned. “The livery in Heppner didn’t give you that ol’ flea-bitten bag of bones, did they?”
Adam chuckled. “No, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. I told them I’d need the horse for a month and I didn’t fancy that decrepit old mare dying on me three miles out of town.”
Ginny turned a hopeful glance to Adam. “Are you really going to stay through Christmas? It’s been forever since you’ve been here for the holiday. Does Arlan know? He’ll be so excited. Have you met Alex? Isn’t she gorgeous? And she’s such fun, too. Do you think…?”
Adam looked over at Blake and caught the man’s smirk as he rolled his eyes at Ginny’s chattering.
“Why don’t you take a breath, Genevieve, and let Adam answer one of those many questions?” Blake suggested.
Ginny giggled. “Sorry. As you both know, I tend to get carried away.”
Adam had missed this, missed being around his friends, even if he hated being in Hardman. He looked at Ginny as they approached Granger House. “To answer your questions, I am staying through Christmas, I think. Arlan doesn’t know. I haven’t met Alex. Yes, she is gorgeous and smart, too. She couldn’t have picked a finer man than my brother to wed, although I have a thing or two to discuss with him.”
Aware of what had transpired between Adam and Tia, Ginny and Blake assumed Arlan had failed to mention her presence in town to Adam.
The three of them walked around to the back entrance of Granger House. Blake rubbed a gentle hand over the head of Luke’s dog, Bart, as they passed by him. Ginny opened the door and stepped inside the warmth of the kitchen while the men stamped snow from their boots. Filly stirred a fragrant pot of spiced cider with one hand while holding a cherubic toddler on her hip.
She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the three of them. “Welcome back, Adam. It’s nice to see you.”
“Hello, Filly.” Adam shrugged out of his coat and left it along with his hat and scarf on a hook by the door. He walked across the room and touched the baby’s hand. She turned to look at him with open curiosity as she rubbed her cheek against the soft sleeve of Filly’s elegant dark gown.
From the strawberry-blond curls on her head to the eyelashes fanning her cheeks, Adam thought the little one greatly resembled her beautiful mother.
“Oh, you haven’t met our Maura, have you, Adam?” Filly turned so Adam could get a better look at the little girl.
“It’s nice to meet you, Maura,” Adam shook the baby’s foot, making a smile break out on her tiny face. He winked at Filly. “The last time I was here, it was obvious she would arrive soon.” He held his hand out in front of his stomach and made a rounded motion, causing Filly to blush.
“Come on, Adam. Let’s join the others in the parlor.” Blake thumped him on the back as Ginny took Maura and kissed the baby’s rosy cheek. Before they left the kitchen, Arlan’s wife breezed into the room then abruptly stopped.
A smile wreathed her face as she looked at Adam. “You must be Arlan’s brother.”
Adam took the hand she held out to him and pressed a light kiss to the back of it.
Alex appeared amused. “You and my husband share a strong resemblance to each other.”
“And you must be the angel my brother has bragged about since last December.” Adam winked at Alex as he relinquished her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I always wanted a sister. Look what a pretty one Arlan gave me. Do you prefer I call you Mrs. Guthry, Alex, a phantasmagorical magician, or sister dearest?”
Alex laughed. “I can see you’re full of charm with a silvery tongue in that handsome head, Adam Guthry. You may call me Alex. I grew up without siblings, so I look forward to finally having a brother.” She tipped her head and studied him a moment. Although his hair was a darker shade of brown and curlier than Arlan’s, and his eyes were a more vibrant shade of blue, a definite likeness existed between the two brothers. While Arlan was taller, Adam held a brawnier set of shoulders and wider chest than his younger brother.
“Luke and Arlan are in the parlor, Adam,” Filly said, ladling hot cider into cups lining two large silver trays.
Alex walked over and started to pick up one of the heavy trays but Adam took it from her. “Lead on, dear lady. Blake and I can carry the trays.”
Surprised by his reference to her as dear lady, Arlan’s pet name for her, Alex grinned at him as she spun back toward the door. “Right this way, brother.”
Upon entering the parlor, Arlan smiled at Alex. When he realized whom she stood beside, he rushed their direction.
Adam handed his tray to Chauncy so he could embrace Arlan in a big bear hug. Amid much backslapping, the two brothers sized each other up with knowing smiles.
“Marriage appears to agree with you, Arlan. My best wishes to you both.” Adam held out a hand to his brother in a gesture of congratulations.
Arlan took it in his and gave it a hearty shake. “Thank you, Adam. I had no idea if you received my telegram and would make it in time for the service.”
“The past week, I’ve been out on the river, but a messenger managed to get in touch with me the day before yesterday. I came as quickly as possible. If I’d been ten minutes later, I would have missed it entirely.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” Arlan placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Did you meet my wonderful bride, Alex the Amazing?”
“I made her acquaintance in the kitchen. I agree, she is quite amazing.”
Alex blushed and moved to help Chauncy disperse the cups of hot cider to those gathered at Granger House.
“Can you stay long?” Arlan asked as he accepted a cup of cider Alex held out to him.
“I might stay for a few weeks, possibly through Christmas, although my plans depend on certain things.”
Arlan frowned. “What things?”
A sigh worked its way out of Adam as he pinned his brother with a cool glare. “You could have told me Tia was here.”
“I could have,” Arlan agreed. “However, if I’d done that, you wouldn’t have come, and I missed seeing you, Adam. Haven’t you both moved past what happened a decade ago?”
Rather than answer, Adam turned to accept Luke’s welcome. The conversation moved to his work and the latest news from Portland.
After partaking of cider, coffee, cookies and cake, those gathered at Granger House bundled into their coats and made their way home before the afternoon settled into dusk.
Tia’s absence made Adam wonder if she wanted to avoid him as much as he dreaded speaking to her. What did one say in polite conversation to the woman who took the love he willingly offered and tossed it back in his face without a single word of apology or regret?
Biting back another sigh, Adam smiled at Luke and Filly, thanking them for their hospitality.
“Didn’t I hear that your folks returned to Hardman, Luke?”
Luke nodded his head as he walked with Adam toward the door where Arlan helped Alex put on her coat.
“They moved back last year, but they’ve gone to New York on business. They plan to return in time for Christmas, though,” Luke said, grinning at Adam. “You can’t miss their house. It’s the garish monstrosity two blocks behind the mercantile.”
