A Family for Christmas (Contemporary Romance Novella) (3 page)

Eve stood and quickly zipped a sweatshirt on over her nightgown to make herself decent. His daughter smiled as Eve entered her bedroom.

"You look snug as a bug in a rug." Eve leaned over Polly and kissed her forehead. The silky nightdress draped tantalizingly across her bottom as she bent forward. Tom halted in the doorway, staring. A pulse of awareness shot through him. Perhaps there was a flaw in his decision to cut women out of his life. He'd been so focused on doing what was best for Polly, he hadn't properly thought through this "no women" plan.

"Daddy said you have pretty hair," Polly said, stroking her fingers through Eve's draping locks.

The little monkey was putting words in his mouth. Tom bit back a denial, realizing in the nick of time that although Polly was embarrassing him, denying he'd said it would be even worse.

Eve turned and lifted her eyebrows. Tom simply shrugged sheepishly.

"Can I comb your hair tomorrow?" Polly said, thankfully distracting Eve.

"Of course you can. I'll give you and Barbie French plaits. My mum used to do my hair that way when I was your age."

"Can we do it now?" Polly started to sit up and reach for her Barbie.

"No! Time to go to sleep." Tom strode into the room and headed for the bedside light.

Eve straightened and smoothed back her hair. The long silky nightdress draped over her softly curved hips and Tom tried not to notice.

"Good night, Polly," she said heading for the door. "I'll see you in the morning." Then she was gone.

Tom switched off the light and gave his daughter one last kiss, then headed downstairs to tidy up. He halted in the kitchen doorway at the sight of Eve's delicate heeled shoes in front of the stove drying. He pictured them on her feet at the end of long, nylon-clad legs, and realized his heart was thumping so hard he could hear the drumming in his ears.

Whatever the weather in the morning, he would move heaven and earth to tow Eve's car out and send her on her way. Having her here was disturbing both him and Polly. They were happy together, just the way they were. He didn't want any complications.

Chapter Three

Eve scrambled out of bed and threw the curtains open. The sun gleamed off a pristine white wonderland under a perfect blue sky. What a relief that the snow had stopped falling. She dressed in the sweatpants and top she always packed for jogging, and donned a pair of socks and her running shoes before heading down to the kitchen.

The smell of toast and coffee greeted her as she entered the room. Polly was seated at the table, trying to feed her Barbie tiny pieces of toast while Tom fried bacon. He turned to greet her and her breath caught. Faded jeans hung low on his hips. Forearms corded with muscles were visible below the upturned cuffs of his checked shirt, and his dark hair curled against his neck, still damp from a shower.

She pressed a hand over her heart. What was a man like Tom doing stuck out here in the middle of nowhere without a wife? It was a crime against womankind. There must have been a woman in his life once or he wouldn't have Polly, so where was she now?

"Good morning," he said, with a grin. He pointed his spatula at the window. "Looks promising out there. The snow has drifted a bit, but it's nothing the tractor can't cope with. I should be able to tow your car to the main road."

"Wonderful!" Oddly, Eve couldn't summon the enthusiasm she expected. Leaving Tom and Polly's homey farmhouse to stay in a hotel didn't appeal quite as much as it had last night. Although she had no right to be here. It was simply an accident of fate that Tom had rescued her yesterday. No doubt he would be pleased to have his privacy back when she left.

After breakfast, Eve put a French plait in Barbie's hair while Polly stood at her side, watching closely. "I want to try." Polly dashed away and returned a few minutes later with two other dolls with different colored hair. "These are Barbie's sisters." Setting them on the table, she carefully practiced putting in the braids.

"Twenty minutes and we're off, you two," Tom said, striding in from the mudroom, already wearing his coat.

"If you want me to plait your hair, I'd better do it now." Eve checked her watch. "I need five minutes upstairs before I leave."

"Yes. Yes." Polly bounced on her toes as Eve grabbed the glittery pink comb.

"Stand still, or you'll get a crooked hair job."

Polly froze, almost trembling with excitement as Eve ran the comb through her fine blonde hair and plaited it. When she finished, she turned Polly around and examined her handiwork. "Oh, very pretty. The style suits you."

Polly held up her small pink hand mirror and looked at herself. "Show Daddy how to do it."

Eve hadn't noticed that Tom was still standing in the doorway, arms crossed, a shoulder rested on the door frame as he watched them. "Oh, no." He raised a hand as if fending off the suggestion. "I can just about manage a ponytail. I'm no hairdresser."

"Daddy, please," Polly burst out. "I want to show Lindy, but my hair will be all messed up by the time I see her. You've got to learn to do it."

"Sorry, pumpkin. The spirit's willing but the fingers won't obey. If I try, you'll end up looking like you have a mutant hedgehog on your noggin."

"Then Eve will have to come visit again at Christmas." Polly's bottom lip protruded and she stamped a foot.

There was a strange, awkward moment as Eve and Tom glanced at each other, then both looked away.

"Time for me to pack my bag, I think." Eve headed upstairs to her bedroom, folded her business suit, laid it in her suitcase, and dropped in her toiletries. Then she zipped her laptop bag and checked under the bed to make sure she hadn't missed anything. With her purse strap over her shoulder and a bag in each hand, she descended the stairs.

"Can't Eve stay, Daddy?" she heard Polly pleading as she neared the kitchen.

"No, sweetheart. Eve was only here because of the snow. You know she has to leave today."

Something crashed and Eve halted, biting her lip and listening.

"Throwing your toys around isn't going to change anything, Polly. Go and pick the doll up, otherwise I'll take it away." Small footsteps stomped around the kitchen.

"Good girl. Come here."

Eve crept forward and peered through the crack in the door to see Tom crouch and hug his daughter. Her heart pinched at the adorable sight they made. How could she have gotten so attached to them in less than twenty-four hours? It must be because she missed her own family. If she and Connor were still close, she wouldn't have this hole in her heart that had been filled so easily by the loving atmosphere in Tom's home.

"Anyway, pumpkin, we like it when it's just us two together, don't we?"

"No, Daddy. I want Eve to stay. She does stuff with me you don't." Polly struggled out of Tom's arms. Eve's heart ached for him as he sat back on his heels and rubbed a hand over his face. It must be tough for a man to raise a little girl on his own.

She longed to know what had happened to Polly's mother, but she probably never would. Not now she was leaving. In fact she would likely never see Tom and Polly again. Their lives had simply brushed against hers for a few hours and now they would go their separate ways. How strange life was sometimes.

Eve pushed open the kitchen door as Tom rose to his feet. "I'm all packed."

"That's good," he said. "We should have some rubber boots and a waterproof coat to fit you. We have girl scouts camp in the field out back in the spring. They always leave coats and boots behind. Take a look in the mudroom and see what you can find."

As Eve rooted out a pair of dusty boots and found a red anorak under the heap of coats, she heard Tom whispering to Polly. "You'll have to stay with Mrs. Undy for an hour."

"I want to say goodbye to Eve."

"You know you're not allowed to ride in the tractor, pumpkin."

"Just this once, Daddy. Please."

Tom sighed. "All right. Just this once if you're a very good girl, and only because it's so close and there's no traffic on the road."

Tom helped Polly into a pink coat with matching scarf, mitts, and hat. "I'm glad you're coming," Eve said brightly, trying to cheer the girl up. "You can help me dig out my car."

Polly pushed her small gloved fingers into Eve's and leaned against her side. "I hope your car is broke so it won't go."

Tom frowned but let the comment pass. He grabbed Eve's case and they all piled out. He locked the back door before loading Eve's bags in the tractor. Was it only yesterday afternoon Tom had found her in the snow? It felt like so much longer. Tom helped Polly up the steps to the cab, then followed and reached down to help Eve up. She settled on the same seat she had the day before, while Polly sat on Tom's lap and pretended to drive.

Noodle had joined them and Eve petted his head as he nuzzled her. "Okay, hang on." Tom started the engine, and the tractor lurched forward. The huge wheels crunched the snow as the mammoth vehicle forged a path through the virgin white drifts along the lane towards the road. Somewhere, in the back of Eve's mind, she realized that if the snow was too deep and they had to turn back, she wouldn't mind at all.

After ten minutes, Tom stopped the tractor and switched off the engine. "Here we are."

"Are you sure this is the place?" Eve stared at the white landscape, wondering how Tom knew where he was.

"Certain." He pointed out the tractor windshield. "That bump in the snow is your car."

"I'll take your word for it." Eve stood and folded away the temporary seat.

Tom lifted Polly off his lap and set her on the floor. "Stay there a moment, pumpkin. Don't touch anything."

He took the wool cap from his pocket and pulled it on his head. Eve leaned down, rested a hand on his shoulder, and put her lips close to his ear. "Remember the wire that Pickle was tangled in? I kicked it to the side of the road. We'd better be careful. It will be hidden by snow." She inhaled Tom's spicy smell before she drew back. Gosh, the man smelled good.

He turned those blue eyes on her and nodded. "I'll find the wire and take it back to the farm so it doesn't snag another animal."

Polly let out an exclamation. Before Eve gathered what was happening, Tom lurched past her and grabbed the back of Polly's coat. The child had pushed down the door handle and was perilously close to tumbling out.

"Polly! I told you not to touch anything," he said.

In the scramble, Eve's laptop bag was knocked out of the cab. It clunked down the steps and landed in the snow.

"Oh, hell." Tom peered out. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." Eve shrugged. "Better that than Polly."

Tom heaved a sigh. "That's why kids under thirteen shouldn't travel on farm machinery. Is the laptop backed up?"

"It automatically sends a copy of everything to the company servers, and it's covered by insurance. No biggie."

Tom looked as though he couldn't believe she was taking the issue so well. He picked up Polly and carried her down to the ground, then rescued Eve's laptop bag and brushed the snow off it. Eve descended the metal steps without help and he handed over the bag with a rueful smile. She left it on a step, deciding to check the computer later.

After grabbing two shovels off the back of the tractor, Tom handed her one. "First, we dig your car out so we can see what we're doing. Then I'll attach the tow chain and you can climb in and steer."

A snowball hit Eve on the chest and she laughed at Polly's grinning face. "Oh, you're in for it now, young lady." She made her own snowball and tossed it at Polly but missed.

Polly squealed with excitement at the game and rapidly tossed more snowballs. She proved to be a good shot and one of her missiles hit Eve's head. She pulled off her hat and brushed the snow from her hair.

"I didn't get to comb Eve's hair." Polly's wail cut through the chilly air and a flock of crows were startled out of a nearby tree.

"You can comb Barbie's hair when we get home," Tom said.

"No, Daddy. I want to comb Eve's hair. It's not fair that you're making her go."

"I'm not making her go. And what's all this nonsense about combing hair anyway? I don't know what's got into you."

Tears filled Polly's eyes. "Mummy used to let me comb her hair. And she put pretty clips and ribbons in my hair and you never do, Daddy." She balled her small fists and started running away through the snow.

The color drained out of Tom's face. He stared after his daughter as though she'd slapped him. Eve felt terrible to be the stimulus for Polly's distress and the rift between father and daughter. "I'm sorry, Tom." She touched his arm but he didn't seem to notice her.

After a few moments, he took off after Polly, his long strides eating up the ground. He caught her up in his arms. She kicked and screamed until she wore herself out, then flopped against his chest, sobbing.

Eve turned away, a hollow feeling inside. Tom had done her a good turn and she'd caused him trouble. Her presence had stirred things up in the Millington household. The sooner she got out of their hair and let them settle down again, the better.

She grabbed one of the shovels and headed for her car. After establishing how deep the snow was by prodding it with her rubber boot, she started digging away the drift that covered the vehicle. Soon the gold metallic paint gleamed through the hole she'd dug and she redoubled her efforts.

She levered off an ice-encrusted chunk of snow and stared at what she uncovered, her brain refusing to process for a few seconds. Then her heart lurched. "Oh, no." She groaned to herself at the sight of the caved-in panel and bumper. Black marks ran along the car's gold paint, gouging deep dents in the metal. After she left her car, something must have come along the road and hit it.

Tom was still hugging Polly, talking to her softly. Eve sucked in a resigned breath and uncovered more of the wrecked vehicle. Damaging her laptop was one thing, but having to report to her bosses that she'd also smashed up her company car would not go down well. It might even affect her prospects with the firm.

She stopped digging and leaned on the handle of her spade. Tom had set Polly down now and they both looked happier.

"Tom," Eve said.

He glanced at her and she stepped aside so he could see the smashed-in front of her car. His eyes widened. "Damn. It wasn't like that when we left it." He grabbed his shovel, joined her, and in a short while he'd cleared the rest of the drift away from her car.

The whole front and side were caved in. He shook his head as he walked around inspecting the damage. "This might be totaled. Perhaps I
should
have towed you back to the farm last night. I reckon something big hit it, a tractor maybe, or a truck." He glanced up and down the road. "The tire tracks have been covered by snow."

"The car's not drivable, is it?" Eve asked miserably, already knowing the answer.

He shook his head.

"So what now?"

His lips thinned. "Looks like you're stuck with us until the snow clears enough for a salvage truck to get up here."

What he meant was that
they
were stuck with her. "I'm sorry to be causing you problems."

He didn't pretend to misunderstand what she was apologizing for. "Polly's tantrum is not your fault." He glanced over his shoulder at where the child was piling snow into a tiny snowman. "It's been nearly three years since my wife walked out. I thought Polly was past this sort of reaction, but maybe I've been kidding myself. I need to talk this over with her and deal with it. You've probably done me a favor."