A Little Christmas Faith

by Kathryn Freeman

  ‘I’ve got a pregnant lady, her husband and a teenage boy outside.’ His quiet, normally mild voice was edged with panic. ‘Their car skidded into a ditch so they need somewhere to sit while they wait for the breakdown service.’

  He looked wild, she thought with alarm. His usually calm grey eyes were like a stormy sea, his face pale and tense. ‘Are you okay?’

  It was a stupid question, considering he was the one who’d come to the rescue of the others. Unsurprisingly, Adam gave her an odd look. ‘You mean are they okay and yes, I think so. But the woman is pregnant …’ He tailed off and shoved a hand through his hair, sending snowflakes flying. She didn’t miss the way his other hand clenched into a fist by his side.

  Faith snapped to attention. ‘Right, let’s get them into the warm.’

  Half an hour later, the Templetons – Mary, Joe and Joe’s son Stuart – were sitting in the restaurant and drinking hot chocolate. Adam was pacing up and down on the phone, trying to get a doctor to come out and check on Mary.

  ‘He doesn’t need to worry.’ Mary ran a hand over her heavily pregnant stomach. ‘I can still feel him kicking.’

  Faith glanced up at Adam, at the rigid set of his shoulders, the clenched jawline. ‘I think he just wants to be sure.’

  Joe, the husband, wasn’t faring much better in his efforts to get a breakdown truck out to them. ‘They say they can’t send anyone at the moment. All the trucks are already out and the roads are getting worse. Because we’re safe and warm, we aren’t an emergency.’

  Stuart, Joe’s son, sighed as he clattered his phone onto the table. ‘The thing’s just died on me.’

  Faith eyed him speculatively. He looked to be about Chloe’s age. A good-looking boy, in that skinny, overly long-haired way that teenage girls seemed to love. ‘My niece will have a charger. She’s on the reception desk. Why don’t you go and ask her?’ As he stood up, she smiled at him. ‘She’s called Chloe. I’m sure she’ll be glad of the company of someone her own age, as she’s stuck here, too.’

  When he’d ambled off, she turned back to the couple. ‘We have room here if you need to stay the night so please don’t worry.’

  Relief shot through Joe’s eyes and he hugged his wife towards him. ‘I think we might just have to take you up on that.’

  Faith rose to her feet. ‘Then I’ll go and prepare two rooms next to each other.’ She squeezed Mary’s shoulder. ‘I think this lady could do with a lie down.’

  As she walked down the corridor, Adam came up behind her. ‘I can’t get a doctor to come out.’

  Panic still lingered in his eyes and there was a restless, agitated look to him that troubled her. ‘She says she can feel the baby kicking, so she’s not worried. According to Joe they slid slowly into the ditch. The airbags didn’t even inflate.’

  ‘But she’s pregnant,’ he said, as if she was so dumb she hadn’t realised. ‘She needs to get checked out. Is there a doctor that lives locally? A house I can bang on to see if anyone’s home?’

  Faith could see he wasn’t going to be persuaded. ‘The lady who lives at number four is a retired GP.’

  ‘Right.’

  He started to stride purposefully away from her but Faith put a hand on his arm. Immediately she felt the connection all the way through her body. It seemed even when she was supposed to be angry with him, she wasn’t immune. ‘Dr Ferguson is seventy-eight. It’s not a good idea for her to come out on an afternoon like this. Or for you to be driving in this weather.’

  Adam glanced down at her hand, then into her eyes. So much emotion, she thought, staring into the tumultuous grey depths. She couldn’t begin to work out what he was thinking, feeling. ‘I’ll take care of her.’

  Then he was walking away, his long strides taking him past the reception desk, where Chloe was laughing at something Stuart was saying to her, and out through the door.

  Adam felt queasy as he parked up outside the doctor’s house. A combination of coming down from the adrenaline high he’d been on for the last few hours, and disgust with himself for dragging this lovely old lady out into a blizzard.

  ‘I’m sorry to have put on you like that,’ he told her again as he helped her back inside.

  ‘You’ve said that four times now, dear.’ She patted his arm as she shook off her coat. ‘I didn’t mind. I could see you were anxious.’

  Anxious was putting it mildly, he thought grimly. He’d been almost manic by the time he’d driven the two miles through the snow to her door.

  ‘She’ll be fine,’ Dr Ferguson reiterated. ‘The baby has a good strong heartbeat. I suspect it will be due in the next few weeks.’

  When he finally drove back into the hotel car park, Adam felt exhausted. It was the stress of the last few hours, on top of the rigorous work-out he’d put his body through at the gym. He was ready to collapse onto his bed.

  Just as he was about to heave his weary body out of the car, his phone pinged, signalling a text from Damon.

  I’m not worrying about you. That would be a girl thing to do.

  A second message followed.

  But text me back some reassuring words about life in the Lakes or I’ll be phoning you.

  Adam sighed, letting his head fall back against the headrest. Reassuring words? He’d rowed with Faith, had a meltdown over a small car accident and been pushed into a corner over calling Emma.

  Girl? You feel like my ruddy mother. Quit harassing me and focus on your wife. I’m fine. SPEAK WHEN I’M HOME. A.

  He pressed send and jumped out of the car.

  There was a rare hum to the hotel as he strode through it – he was used to it being so quiet. The noise seemed to be coming from the restaurant. A quick glance through the open doors at the end of the corridor and he could see Faith’s parents talking to Joe, the husband of the pregnant lady. Chloe and Stuart were there too, but on a different table, their faces poring over what looked to be Chloe’s iPad. Giles was sitting with Margaret, a mince pie in his hand and a smile on his face. Some people he didn’t know were standing chatting to each other, one of the women holding a baby. Was that Faith’s nephew? The little mite he’d looked after for a while?

  Suddenly Faith came in to view and Adam froze. He couldn’t face her just now. Not since he’d made an absolute prick of himself not once but twice today. First lashing out at her over the call from Emma, then insisting on forcing an old lady out in the snow.

  He turned to head off to his room but as he did, their eyes met and awareness slammed through him. She probably hated his guts now. What a shame his body didn’t realise it.

  He stood transfixed as she said something to her parents before heading out of the restaurant. Towards him.

  Every muscle in his body tensed and for a split second he considered running to his room, shutting the door and turning the lock. But he hadn’t phoned Emma back yet, and one cowardly action a day was about all he could stomach.

  ‘Dr Ferguson got back okay?’

  ‘Of course,’ he replied tightly, resenting the question even though he knew it was asked out of concern rather than to make a point.

  Hurt flashed in her gorgeous eyes and Adam knew he was failing left, right and centre with this woman. ‘I wanted to warn you of our new guests.’

  He frowned, looking over her shoulder into the restaurant. ‘The ones with the baby?’

  ‘No. That’s Jack and my sister, Charity. She and Hope have come today in case the roads are too bad to travel tomorrow.’

  His eyes swept further round the room. ‘Giles and Margaret?’

  Her breath came out in a gentle exhale. ‘They’re going to stay until their electricity is sorted.’

  He found it too hard to look into her eyes. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘No, thank you for warning me about them.’ When he plucked up the courage to glance at
her face, the compassion he saw there sent alarm bells ringing through him.

  ‘Emma and her parents checked in half an hour ago,’ she said in a rush.

  For a moment the words didn’t penetrate. All he could see was Faith’s beautiful eyes, wrapping him up in warmth and kindness, neither of which he deserved. But then what she’d said began to work its way through his paralysed brain, and fear trickled through him, freezing his organs in its wake. ‘They’re here.’ He almost choked on the words.

  Eyes swimming in sympathy, she nodded. ‘Apparently Emma was visiting her parents when she called.’

  ‘They were buying a holiday home in Keswick.’ Slowly the memory came back to him. But why the hell were they up here? he thought wildly. They always spent Christmas down south, hundreds of bloody miles away.

  ‘Yes. So when she found out you were here,’ Faith paused, guilt flooding across her face. ‘When I opened my big mouth and told her where you were, they made a snap decision to come.’

  ‘But the snow …’ His brain felt like mush as it struggled to comprehend what was happening.

  ‘Emma’s husband – Frank – drives a Discovery. They made it here just before it got really bad.’ His expression must have looked as dazed as he felt because she gave his arm a brief, reassuring squeeze. ‘I didn’t give them your room number, so you don’t have to see them, but Emma asked me to give you hers. She and her husband are in number seven.’

  Numbly he thanked her, then took a step away before he gave in to temptation and reached out for her. He’d given up the chance to feel those arms wrapped around him. Her heart beating against his.

  ‘You should talk to her, Adam,’ Faith said softly. ‘No good ever came of pushing people away, or burying your thoughts.’

  Pride made him bristle. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘You’ve not told me what happened, so perhaps you’re right.’ He took the jab on the chin, knowing he deserved it, though it stung like a bugger. ‘I do know I’m the first woman you’ve slept with since your wife left you, though. That suggests you’ve got some unresolved issues. As does the way you’re avoiding your wife’s family.’

  ‘Ex-wife,’ he countered bluntly, eyes glancing over her shoulder and back into the restaurant. The more he stared at the people congregated there, the more he began to see a pattern. A rush of harsh laughter escaped him. ‘Look at that group in there; your sisters, Chloe, Giles, the people from the car crash. All people you’re helping in some way.’ He almost laughed again when he caught sight of Nip and Tuck, chasing each other round the room like a pair of mop heads on speed. ‘Damn it, even your dogs were from a rescue centre, weren’t they? And that’s what you’re doing to me too, isn’t it? I’m another one of your rescue projects.’

  Two red spots appeared on her cheeks. At first he thought it was embarrassment, but one look at her flashing eyes and he knew differently. ‘Since when is it a crime to want to help others?’ She shook her head in a dismissive gesture. ‘Stop being a coward. Go and talk to the woman who’s bothered to travel through the snow to see you.’

  Faith turned away sharply and Adam knew however angry she’d been with him before, he’d just made the situation a million times worse.

  As he watched her stride back into the restaurant, his heart plummeted, dragging painfully at his shoulders, tearing at his chest. He had serious doubts whether anything Emma could throw at him – and he knew she hadn’t tracked him down just to say hello – could make him feel any worse than he did right now.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tears stung Faith’s eyes as she walked back to the restaurant. Damn Adam Hunter and his sad, lost expression. His harsh, accusing words.

  Trying to swallow down her misery, she headed for the kitchen. The brothers were still there, preparing the final dishes for the day. When she’d only had a few guests booked, all planning to eat elsewhere on Christmas Day, closing the restaurant to keep the brothers happy had seemed like a good idea. Now she was beginning to doubt her sanity. Maybe Adam was right. She was too much of a soft touch to run her own business.

  Stop thinking about him.

  ‘You have a crowd now, si?’ Mario said as she stepped inside. ‘They all stay here?’

  Ripples of panic slithered through her. ‘The way the weather is looking, I think so, yes.’

  He dipped his head, looking at her with his dark Italian eyes. ‘When we agree to have tomorrow off, we thought only a few guests. Now the hotel is full.’

  The irony wasn’t lost on her. ‘Half of them are my family. We’ll muddle through.’

  ‘Are you sure? We can come and cook the turkey for you.’ Antonio this time. He was the younger of the two. Quieter.

  ‘And trudge through all this snow when you could be having a lie-in, and a meal made for you?’

  Antonio looked towards his brother and a silent conversation went on before Mario nodded and turned to her. ‘We won’t see our family tomorrow now. Too much snow. So it’s just us. We could come in. Cook for everyone. We live only two kilometres away. The walk here will not be too much of a … what did you say … trudge?’

  A bubble of hope floated up inside her. ‘You don’t mind?’ she almost squealed.

  Mario gave her a wide smile. ‘You were kind to agree to close the restaurant. We will cook a turkey for you.’

  She bit into her lip. ‘Umm, we’re going to need more than one. Mum’s got one big enough for our lot, plus a spare. The neighbours Giles and Margaret have brought theirs—’

  ‘Relax.’ Mario put a hand on her shoulder and started to push her out of the kitchen. ‘You do your job, we do ours. We’ll leave croissants and cereal out for tomorrow morning for anyone up early. We be here at ten. Now what do you English say … shoo.’

  ‘Grazie, grazie,’ she shouted over her shoulder, and knew without looking that they were rolling their eyes. It was the only Italian she’d picked up in the four months they’d been working together.

  Relief made her steps considerably lighter as Faith went to find her sisters, who were now talking to her parents. Nip and Tuck, who she’d not had the heart to keep locked up now it was too snowy to run outside, were lying docilely at her father’s feet. Clearly playing chase was exhausting when you only had little legs. As she walked towards them, her eyes skimmed over the other tables, resting finally on her niece, who was still talking to Stuart. Interesting.

  Hope caught sight of Faith and frowned. ‘Everything okay?’

  ‘Of course.’ Faith forced a smile. ‘Especially now Mario and Antonio have agreed to make Christmas dinner for us tomorrow.’

  ‘My stomach says thank you,’ her father murmured.

  ‘You looked upset earlier, though,’ Hope persisted. ‘After you’d talked to the guest in the corridor.’

  ‘Oh, he’s more than a guest,’ her mother supplied unhelpfully.

  And now both Hope and Charity were staring at her. Before Faith could question what was happening, her sisters had whispered to their husbands, and the men were leading her father out of the restaurant. It left only Faith, three pairs of inquisitive female eyes. And a sleeping baby.

  ‘Let me get this straight,’ Hope said finally, when Faith had given them all the highs, and subsequent lows, of her doomed affair. ‘You think you’ve fallen in love with a man who lives down south, who has a hang-up about his ex-wife and who hates Christmas.’

  ‘But is a star when it comes to looking after dogs and wee babies.’ Her mother glanced at her sympathetically. ‘Let’s not forget his good points.’

  Charity dropped a kiss on her son’s soft downy hair. ‘Anyone who managed to get this one to stop crying that day was a hero in my eyes.’

  Hope’s gaze travelled to where her daughter sat. ‘And if the change in Chloe is anything to go by, it seems he has a way with teenage girls
, too.’ She patted Faith’s hand. ‘Though I know most of that is down to you. She told me how you’ve helped her. Listened to her when I was too busy to.’

  Faith smiled sadly. ‘I was only able to listen because it’s been quiet here, so don’t put yourself down. And Adam’s helped a lot. Sticking up for her, talking to her, showing her exercise routines.’

  ‘Yes, what is it with him and exercise?’ Hope let out a little giggle. ‘Chloe seems to think he’s an exercise God.’

  ‘Something went on with his wife, now ex-wife,’ Faith added quickly as she watched the horror creep across their faces. ‘Whatever number the woman did on him made him hate himself for a while.’ It also made him secretive, reclusive, emotionally unavailable, prickly and unwilling to trust, she thought miserably.

  But God, when he looked at her with those tortured eyes, she was putty in his hands. She wondered where he was now. Whether he was actually talking to Emma or whether he’d locked himself in his room, allowing whatever demons were haunting him to have a free rein.

  The door opened and Adam found himself staring straight into the cautious blue eyes of his sister-in-law. Ex sister-in-law, he reminded himself. He tried to hold her gaze, to keep his shoulders square and his back straight.

  Tried not to remember the last time he’d seen her.

  Her eyes widened as they took him in, moving from his face, down his body and back up again. ‘You look different.’

  Self-consciously he rubbed a hand over his jaw. ‘It’s the beard.’

  ‘Maybe. You’re also …’ She waved a hand up and down. ‘Bigger.’

  There was a tremor in her voice, a hesitancy in her expression. She’s nervous, he realised, and the thought almost blindsided him. He was the one in the wrong. He was the one so far on the back foot he was tipping over.

  She pulled the door further open. ‘Come on in.’

  Frank, her husband, immediately stood up from the sofa. After giving Adam a quick, firm handshake he gave his wife a long, meaningful look. ‘I’ll be in the foyer if you need me.’