The Christmas Vow Read Online Free PDF Page B

carried loudly through the still morning air.
    Adam raised a questioning eyebrow as he glared at Tia. “Mad-sad man?”
    Embarrassed by her son’s words and unsettled by Adam’s proximity, she released a nervous laugh. “Toby noticed you at the service yesterday and asked if I knew the mad-sad man.”
    Much to her surprise, Adam hunkered down and removed his glove. He held out his hand to her son. “Toby, is it?”
    The little boy tugged off a mitten and shook his hand, clearly pleased the big man offered it to him.
    “It’s nice to meet you, Toby. My name is Adam. I used to live here and knew your mama back then.”
    “You did?” Toby’s voice held a hint of curiosity while his eyes widened with interest. “Did you know Mr. Carl?”
    Adam nodded his head. “I sure did. He was my very best friend. I’m sad that he’s gone.”
    Toby took a step forward and placed his small hand on Adam’s shoulder, patting it gently. “It’s okay. Mama and I are sad he’s gone, too. Maybe he and my father will meet each other in heaven. Do you think they’ll remember me?”
    “I’m sure of it.” Adam smiled at the child, unable to resist his innocent, tender spirit. “What are you and your mama doing out on such a cold, frosty morning.”
    “Mama has to see to errands,” Toby said, then leaned closer to Adam. “That means she’s going to visit Miss Abby, go to the post office, and the mercantile. I like to go to the mercantile but sometimes Miss Abby lets me stay to play with Erin.”
    “Is that right?” Adam asked as he helped Toby put on his mitten and pulled his own glove back on his hand. “Well, I best let you get on your way. It was nice to meet you, Toby.”
    Toby smiled broadly and yanked on his mother’s hand again. “Come on, Mama. I want to see if Erin’s in the store.”
    “You run on ahead, baby. I’ll be there in a moment,” Tia said, watching as Toby skipped partway down the block and opened the door to Abby Dodd’s dress shop.  She turned her gaze to Adam, taking in the sadness around his eyes and the disappointment bracketing his mouth. “I’m truly sorry about Carl, Adam. I’m sorry about… when I left…” Her voice caught and she found it impossible to speak.
    “Just forget about it, Tia. If you think I’ve spent all this time missing you, what might have been, you’re kidding yourself. I left you and all those memories behind a long time ago. You don’t mean a thing to me.” Adam ignored the pain in her eyes his words inflicted and stepped around her. “I know you cared about Carl, even if you owned no real affection for me. Let’s just ignore each other while I’m in town and leave it at that.”
    He picked up the shovel he’d set aside and marched across the street. Tia stared after him, torn between following after him to give him a piece of her mind or burying her face in her hands and releasing a flood of tears.
    Rather than surrender to either desire, she took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and hastened into Abby’s dress shop.
    As she rushed inside, Toby and Erin looked up from where they sat at a tiny table beneath the window. Children’s books, a set of wooden blocks, two rag dolls, and a few other toys comprised the play area.
    Toby had already divested himself of his hat, scarf, mittens and coat as he gave her a wide grin. “Mama! Miss Abby said I can play with Erin.”
    “Is that so?” Tia raised an eyebrow at Toby, hoping he didn’t plead with Abby to stay. The woman had more than she could handle with the flood of holiday dress orders that had come in as well as taking care of Erin and helping her husband, Chauncy, with church matters. Tia was sure the last thing she needed was an active little boy underfoot.
    “I asked him if he’d like to keep Erin company this morning,” Abby said, as she set aside the taffeta skirt she embellished with beads and stood.  “I’d love to have Toby stay a while. The two of them keep each other