"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."
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br /> 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."
"Thanks for being so understanding."
Tom pulled off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm just a realist. Now, get in your car and let's see if the engine starts."
Eve's car was as dead as a doornail. While Tom towed it back to the farm, she couldn't even use the windshield wipers to see where she was going. The car squeaked and rattled as it bumped through the snow. Relief filled her when the vehicle finally came to a halt in the farmyard.
Tom unhitched her car and parked his tractor. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced at a small copse of fir trees behind the farmhouse. "We're going to choose a Christmas tree. Do you want to join us?" The flat tone of his voice warned her he'd only asked to be polite. This was obviously something he'd rather do alone with his daughter.
"No, I'm good, thanks. I'd rather go inside out of the cold." Eve gave a tentative smile and headed back to the house. The now familiar smell of wood smoke and cooking welcomed her as if she was coming home. Some of her tension leaked away as she trod up the creaky wooden stairs to the bedroom she had vacated only a few hours earlier.
She dumped her bags on the bed and the sound of laughter drew her to the window. Tom was sawing down a small pine tree while Polly danced around in the snow, brimming with excitement. Eve would have loved to be outside with them, but Tom needed time alone with his daughter—time without Eve there to confuse matters.
Unzipping her laptop bag, she sighed at the cracked screen. She pressed the power button and nothing happened. The computer was dead, just like her car. Work was her escape from emotional turmoil, but without her laptop, she couldn't even do that. In desperation, she pulled out her phone, checked her e-mails, and updated her calendar with the new time for her evaluation on Monday. Then she called the insurance company to report the damage to her car.
Unpacking, Eve hung up her business suit and examined her ruined shoes. The sound of Tom and Polly's happy voices echoed up the stairs as they brought the Christmas tree inside and discussed how they would decorate it.
A sudden flood of loneliness knocked the wind out of Eve. She cradled her phone in her hand and scrolled through photographs of her family last Christmas when they'd all met up at Ed's house. That had been a sad time, the first Christmas without her parents, but they'd all pulled together and supported each other. This past year both her brothers had grown distant, both busy with their own lives. Without their parents to anchor them together, she and her brothers were drifting apart.
Connor smiled up at her from the screen, his arm around her shoulders, their smiles so alike. A boy and a girl couldn't be identical twins, but the resemblance between them was uncanny. Everyone commented on the likeness. They had always been close and she missed him so much since he'd married Lilly. Eve selected Connor's phone number and dialed, listening to the ring tone. Her heart lifted at the sound of his voice.
"Hi, Con, it's me."
"Evie, how are you?"
"I've been better. I broke down in the middle of Dartmoor. In a blizzard."
"Are you stuck in your car now?"
"No. I was rescued by a farmer. I'm at his house. But my car's probably a total loss. Something crashed into it while it was on the edge of the road."
"You're not hurt are you?"
"No. Just a little off balance after the experience. So, how's Lilly?"
"She looks like someone's shoved a balloon up her shirt."
"Yes, well that would be you, Con. And I hope it's a baby, not a balloon."
He chuckled and she wished they could go back to how they used to be, friends with no tension between them.
"Miss you, Con. Will I see you at Christmas?"
His breath hissed down the phone. "I don't know. Lilly's blood pressure's up and down like a yo-yo, and she gets bad headaches. She doesn't like me leaving her when I'm not at work. It's probably not a good idea for you to visit at the moment."
"It's all right. Don't worry. I know it's difficult." They'd never actually talked about the fact that Lilly didn't like her, but it was understood. "I don't want to make life difficult for you."
"You're so understanding, Evie."
"Hmm, not really." Just a realist, as Tom had said earlier.
In the background, Lilly's voice called Connor's name. "Got to go," he said.
"I'll speak to you on Christmas day if not before, okay."
Then her brother was gone. Eve clutched the phone to her chest, wondering, not for the first time, what he saw in Lilly.
A knock sounded on Eve's bedroom door, pulling her out of her funk. "Come in."
Polly burst in, grinning. "Come and see the Christmas tree." She grabbed Eve's hand and tugged. "I saved you some things to put on it."
"Oh, Polly, that was sweet of you." Eve stooped and gave Polly a quick hug. It was hard to feel down when she had such a bright, bubbly little person for company.
Tom intercepted them at the bottom of the stairs. "Eve, I'm so sorry. I never offered you any lunch."
"It's okay. I won't go on Trip Advisor and leave your establishment a bad review."
He laughed. "I got so carried away with the Christmas tree that lunch went out of my head. I'm just warming up some soup. Do you fancy that?"
"Anything. I'm easy." She was relieved Tom seemed to be back to his easygoing, relaxed self. Obviously the drama with Polly was over for the moment.
Polly led Eve into a sitting room with a low-beamed ceiling and a huge inglenook fireplace. The Christmas tree stood in a pot in the corner. Multicolored lights blinked among its branches and shiny baubles, and bright tinsel gleamed against the dark green needles. "Look, Eve. Do you like it?"
"Beautiful. Did you decorate it?"
"Daddy put on the lights, but I did everything else." Polly grabbed a bag of chocolate decorations wrapped in colored foil and handed it over. "You can put these on. But they have to go high up or Noodle will eat them and make himself sick."
Eve hung the chocolates on the tree, stepped back to admire her handiwork, and bumped into Tom. His hands closed around her upper arms to catch her, his hard chest against her back. "Steady, there."
"Oops, sorry. Didn't hear you come in."
He didn't immediately release her, continuing to hold her arms in his firm, warm grip. For a fleeting moment, she sensed what it would be like to be intimate with this man, the strength and gentleness of him. A delicious shiver raced through Eve at his touch, his nearness. She'd had relationships with men, but they usually only lasted a few months. None of them ever excited her or seemed worth the trouble.
Tom was different.
"Come and eat your lunch," he whispered, his breath brushing her ear as though he was imparting a secret.
Polly chose that moment to throw herself at Eve and wrap her arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. For a few seconds, Eve was sandwiched between the two of them. This must be what it was like to have a family, not the jokey familiarity of having brothers, but the deep sense of belonging, the sense that she was the most important person in someone else's life—something she had never understood before. If this was how Connor felt about Lilly, she understood why he was willing to sideline their brother-sister relationship for it.
A Family for Christmas (Contemporary Romance Novella) Page 3