A Family for Christmas (Contemporary Romance Novella) (6 page)

Chapter Six

"Polly, where are you, sweetheart?" Tom wandered through the house, checking rooms. At this time of day, he'd expect her to be in the sitting room watching television. He tried to limit Polly's TV watching to late afternoon and it was gone four, when her favorite programs started.

He checked the mudroom again in case she had slipped back there after he came inside. Pickle's bottles were neatly washed up and set to dry, just as he'd shown her. But there was no sign of his daughter. He traipsed back to the kitchen to find it still empty.

She hadn't been in her bedroom, but he checked again. As he shut the door, the first hint of panic clutched his gut. Could she be outside? The temperature had risen and the heavy rain that had fallen on Tuesday and Wednesday had banished all the snow, but it was getting dark.

He was pacing down the hall towards the stairs, when a muffled sob pulled him up. "Polly?" The sob came again—from the spare bedroom.

He pushed open the door to find his daughter curled up on the bed, her Barbie and glittery pink comb clutched to her chest. "Sweetheart, what are you doing in here? What's the matter?"

"It smells of Eve," Polly whispered.

Tom's feet stumbled to a halt at the mention of Eve's name. He'd been trying to put her out of his mind, and not succeeding at all well. Almost everywhere he went in the house reminded him of her, and at night when he tried to sleep, thoughts of Eve overwhelmed him with longing. He'd been surprised how little Polly had mentioned Eve, been grateful for it actually.

Polly sniffed the pillow and then patted it. "Here, Daddy. This smells of her. Come and lie down here with me."

Tom had purposely not changed the sheets on the spare bed yet. He'd planned to do it in a week or two when time had done its work and his memories of Eve were not so sharp.

Without making a conscious decision to move, he found himself beside the bed. He should pick his daughter up and take her to her own room.

Polly patted the pillow again. "Sniff it, Daddy."

This was a bad idea. He leaned down and pressed his nose into the pillow. The light floral fragrance of Eve's hair surrounded him. He was instantly transported back to the car rental place, the feel of her silky hair against his hand, her body in his arms, her soft lips beneath his. He stifled a groan that was half longing and half frustration with himself for being so stupid.

"Lie down, Daddy."

He climbed on the bed and stretched out beside his daughter. She cuddled up to him, and he wrapped an arm around her, hugging her close. Eve's sweet perfume surrounded them, almost as if she were there with them in spirit, a part of their family.

How could he feel this strongly about the woman when he'd only known her for a couple of days? She had worked her way under his skin and started to make inroads into his heart. This was the last thing he wanted. Life had been simple before she turned up. Now he was confused about what he should do.

"I want Eve to come back," Polly whispered.

Tom rubbed his eyes. Eve had texted him on Monday evening to say she'd been offered the partnership with her firm. She wasn't likely to give up such an opportunity so she could live closer to them. "Eve's got a life of her own, pumpkin."

"I want Eve to be my mummy."

A band of pain tightened around Tom's chest at the yearning in his daughter's voice. He turned on his side and looked into eyes the same color as his own. "You know I love you enough for two people, Polly."

"I know you love me, Daddy. But I still want a mummy." She laid her small palm on his cheek and patted him gently. "It doesn't mean I don't love you, Daddy. I just want a lady to do girl things with me." She held up her comb and her Barbie as if that explained everything.

Had he been fooling himself to think he could raise his daughter alone? They'd bumped along well together, still did. He couldn't bear the thought of a woman coming into Polly's life only to walk away when she got bored with the responsibility of a little girl.

But hadn't he himself thought how different Eve was from Karen? He pressed a hand over his eyes and instantly thoughts of Eve filled his head, her fragrance fueling longings he had tried so hard to suppress. It wasn't only Polly who missed her. Eve had been like a breath of summer in the middle of winter, brightening up the house with her smiles and kind words.

He couldn't deny the truth any longer. Watching Polly and Eve together, it was obvious his daughter needed a woman in her life. Tom had done his best to get the girly stuff she wanted. Painting the bedroom pink and sticking fairies on the furniture had kept her happy for a short while. He played Barbies with her, and he could put her hair in a ponytail and add some flowery clips, but French plaits were a step too far. How long before she got interested in fashion and nail polish and other girly stuff? And then there was puberty to deal with.

"If you marry Eve, she can be my mummy."

"Eve's got an important job, pumpkin. She has to live a long way away."

"But you haven't asked her to marry you."

"Polly, she'd say no."

"She wouldn't." Polly dug in her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of card. "Look." She handed it across. It was one of Eve's business cards with her e-mail address handwritten on the back. She'd given Polly her contact details, but she hadn't given them to him. For a shameful moment he was jealous of his own daughter.

"E-mail her and ask her, Daddy."

"I can't ask her to marry me by e-mail." Then he realized what he'd said. "I can't ask her to marry me at all. We've only just met!" But he would very much like to spend time with Eve and get to know her better. Tom examined the business card. Eve was a tax specialist. He could do with some advice on tax planning.

***

Eve checked her watch and knocked on her brother's front door. She didn't expect Connor to answer. It was lunchtime and he would be at work. She'd come to see his wife, Lilly.

After her time with Tom and Polly, Eve had thought a lot about families. How they supported each other, or didn't. When her parents died, she'd leaned heavily on Connor and expected him to be there for her. She was ashamed to admit this must have put a huge strain on his relationship with his new bride. Eve could hardly blame Lilly for being less than friendly.

The door opened and Eve smiled as her sister-in-law waddled out. She was only five two and her pregnant belly was already huge. Her fluffy blonde hair curled around her face and her blue eyes widened at the sight of Eve.

"Connor's not here," she said and moved to close the door.

"I haven't come to see Connor."

"What?" Lilly paused, confusion crossing her face.

"I'm here to see you."

"Me?"

Guilt flashed through Eve as she realized this was the first time she had ever visited her sister-in-law when Connor wasn't here. Eve held up the shiny bag in her hand. "I come bearing gifts."

"Oh. Well you'd better come in then." Lilly didn't sound overjoyed to see her, but she backed up to let Eve past her protruding belly. Eve slipped in and they headed to the kitchen. "Would you like a drink?" Lilly asked.

"Let me get us one. You sit down and rest."

"Okay." Lilly watched in bemusement as Eve filled the coffeemaker. Finally her sister-in-law broke the awkward silence. "So, are you busy at work?"

"Usual mad rush before Christmas with people sending their tax stuff in late. They send their records in halfway through December and expect us to have the tax returns completed and filed in January." Eve rolled her eyes and Lilly laughed.

"I think I might be like that if I had to fill out a tax return," Lilly said.

"Be thankful you don't have to."

Eve set the mugs on the table and sat beside Lilly. She turned the mug between her hands, wondering how to say what she'd come to say. In the end she went for the honest, straightforward approach. "I'm here to apologize."

"What for?" The wary tone was back in the other woman's voice.

"For hijacking your husband. I'm sorry I demanded so much of his time after Mum and Dad's accident. It must have been hard for you."

Lilly twisted her rings around her fingers. "A little."

"I know it's a bit late, but can we start again? I want you and Connor to be happy. I hate to think I've caused the two of you any problems."

"I know your parents' dying hit you hard. It was a difficult time for us all. I'm happy to start afresh if you are."

"Great!" Eve lifted the gift bag onto the table. She extracted Connor's present, then passed the bag to Lilly. "For you."

"Thank you, Eve. I'd better put it under the tree."

"No, open it now. It's only two days until Christmas."

Lilly smiled. "Okay." She pulled out the selection of luxury toiletries Eve had chosen and laid them on the table. "This is my favorite brand!"

"I know. I checked with Con."

"Thank you so much." Lilly leaned towards Eve, and they hugged awkwardly around Lilly's belly.

"You should take it easy and pamper yourself. Con said your blood pressure's high."

They chatted for a while about Lilly's visits to the hospital and her frustration that the doctors always sent her home without explaining why her blood pressure was so erratic.

Eve checked her watch. "Sorry to love you and leave you, but I'd better get back to the office. Have a lovely Christmas."

"Sorry we can't see you on Christmas Day. We're going to Mum and Dad's," Lilly said.

"No problem. I'll see you sometime after New Year's."

They hugged again at the door, and Eve headed back to her car, a sense of peace calming the place inside her that had been in turmoil for many months. If nothing else, her stay with Tom and Polly had made her step back and examine what was important in her life—and being kind and thoughtful to her family was the most important thing in the world.

***

"There's a new client to see you, Eve."

"What now?" Eve glanced at her watch and rolled her eyes. Why did people leave their tax affairs to the very last moment? In thirty minutes she would be leaving for the Christmas break, and she needed these last minutes to deal with a few admin issues. The last thing she wanted right now was a new client.

"Are you sure you can't persuade him to come back after the holidays."

"I doubt it. He was very insistent."

Eve frowned in frustration. It wasn't as if she could do any work for him now. She needed to get home promptly to pack her suitcase. It was months since she'd seen her brother, Ed, so she'd made a last-minute decision to accept his invitation to join his family in Germany for Christmas. She was booked to fly out tomorrow and didn't plan to return until the second of January.

"Okay, better show him in. What's his name?"

"Mr. Millington."

Eve had just bent to slide her new laptop into her bag. She jackknifed upright at the name, a question forming on her lips. But her personal assistant had gone. There in the doorway stood Tom.

Her breath rushed in and burst out, her heart racing. His dark hair gleamed under the bright lights, his eyes bluer than she remembered. He wore a black leather jacket she'd never seen before and dark blue trousers. He didn't look at all like a farmer!

"Tom." The word came out all croaky and she had to clear her throat and repeat it. "What're you doing here?"

"Polly showed me your business card. You didn't tell me tax was your thing."

"It never came up, I guess."

"I need some advice."

Her wildly beating heart fluttered and dropped. Had he really come all this way to see her only to ask advice about his tax affairs?

"You'd better take a seat." She pointed to the chair on the other side of her desk.

He approached but ignored the chair, coming around to her side. "I didn't say I wanted tax advice, although that might come in handy down the line."

"What, then?"

He smiled, and despite his apparent confidence, a touch of uncertainty crept into his eyes. "I need advice on what to buy Polly for Christmas."

He was standing so close that Eve struggled to think straight. He smelled of something deliciously spicy, and behind the fragrance was the wonderful, familiar smell of wood smoke that immediately pulled her back to the comfortable old farmhouse. "Haven't you already bought her Christmas presents?"

"Uh-huh. But I doubt I've got it right."

"Oh, Tom, don't put yourself down. I'm sure she'll be pleased with what you've chosen for her."

"Maybe. But I want to give her some girly things. The sort of things a mum would buy as a surprise for her daughter." He raised a hand to Eve's hair, stroked a finger down the side of her face. "We miss you, Eve. I know the partnership means you have to stay in Bristol, but Polly and I both want you in our lives. Even if you can only make it down to visit us occasionally."

"You want me?" The moment the words left her mouth, heat flooded her cheeks. That hadn't come out quite as she intended.

"I want to get to know you better. I can't stop thinking about you." Tom stepped closer and drew her into his arms.