questioning gaze.
The sight of her smile, of those apple cheeks dusted with a light hue that put him in mind of summer peaches, sucked all the moisture from his mouth. As his tongue cleaved to the roof his mouth, he awkwardly swallowed.
“Tia, I…” Adam faltered, uncertain how to word his proposition. He cleared his throat and swallowed again. “This might sound a little strange… perhaps entirely daft, but I’ve come to care for Toby a great deal in the short time I’ve been back in town. The thought of his grandfather raising him, of taking him away from you, makes me angry. Toby belongs with you.”
Tia sniffed and dabbed at the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. “Thank you, Adam. I appreciate your kind words.”
“It’s not just words I want to offer, Tia. It’s me.”
Confused, she cocked her head to one side. “You?”
Adam moved from the chair to sit beside her on the sofa, taking one of her delicate hands in his. “I’m saying this badly, but I’ve done little else than think on what Mr. Carlton said about a marriage being the simplest way to ensure the judge can’t take Toby. Will you marry me, Tia? For Toby’s sake? To keep him safe and here with you?”
Tia sat back, staring at Adam as if he’d begun speaking gibberish. Her gaze dropped to the hand he held between his. She’d always liked the way he held her hand, so gently, yet possessively. The roughness of his skin against hers felt so familiar and so right.
The one thing she’d wanted more than anything in her life was for Adam Guthry to ask her to be his wife. In fact, the entire last year they attended school, she hoped every single day would be the day Adam proposed to her.
When summer arrived with no hint of plans for a future together, Tia grew restless. Tired of waiting for him to get around to asking for her hand and fearful he never would, her grandmother insisted Tia go to Portland to visit her great aunt for a few weeks. Only she never came back.
Now, all these years later, Adam had finally asked the question she’d longed most of her life to hear.
And she had to tell him no.
“I can’t marry you, Adam.” Tia pulled her hand from his and slid back on the sofa, putting space between the two of them.
“Why?” Adam asked, taking her hand in his again, meshing their fingers together. Memories of all the times they’d sat with their fingers entwined made fresh pain arc through his chest.
“Because…” Tia scrambled for a reason. She couldn’t verbalize a single one with Adam sitting so close, filling her nose with his manly scent and her heart with his willingness to sacrifice his freedom for her son.
“That’s not a reason, Queenie.” The teasing smile he gave her did great justice to the dimples in his cheeks while wreaking havoc on her ability to reason. “Please, Tia, will you please marry me?”
“I can’t.” She pulled her hand away again and rose, turning to stare out the window at the serene, snowy scene of her front yard. Chickadees pecked at the birdseed she’d helped Toby set out in a flat pan. The fluttering of vermilion wings added a splash of color to the blanket of white as two cardinals darted from the fence to another dish holding seeds.
Finally, she turned to face him. “It wouldn’t be fair to you to accept your proposal of marriage for the sake of getting me out of this predicament.” A sigh escaped her. She glanced down, brushing at a speck of lint clinging to the front of her deep green and navy striped gown. “It’s a mess of my own making and I’ll figure out how to deal with it. I could always take Toby and agree to live with Cedric and Catherine. At least that way, I know we’d be together.”
“Until they kicked you out or found some other way to torment you.” Adam got to his feet and moved until he stood so close to her, the toes of his boots touched the tips of her shoes beneath the hem of her skirt.
When she continued staring at her feet, Adam cupped her
The sight of her smile, of those apple cheeks dusted with a light hue that put him in mind of summer peaches, sucked all the moisture from his mouth. As his tongue cleaved to the roof his mouth, he awkwardly swallowed.
“Tia, I…” Adam faltered, uncertain how to word his proposition. He cleared his throat and swallowed again. “This might sound a little strange… perhaps entirely daft, but I’ve come to care for Toby a great deal in the short time I’ve been back in town. The thought of his grandfather raising him, of taking him away from you, makes me angry. Toby belongs with you.”
Tia sniffed and dabbed at the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. “Thank you, Adam. I appreciate your kind words.”
“It’s not just words I want to offer, Tia. It’s me.”
Confused, she cocked her head to one side. “You?”
Adam moved from the chair to sit beside her on the sofa, taking one of her delicate hands in his. “I’m saying this badly, but I’ve done little else than think on what Mr. Carlton said about a marriage being the simplest way to ensure the judge can’t take Toby. Will you marry me, Tia? For Toby’s sake? To keep him safe and here with you?”
Tia sat back, staring at Adam as if he’d begun speaking gibberish. Her gaze dropped to the hand he held between his. She’d always liked the way he held her hand, so gently, yet possessively. The roughness of his skin against hers felt so familiar and so right.
The one thing she’d wanted more than anything in her life was for Adam Guthry to ask her to be his wife. In fact, the entire last year they attended school, she hoped every single day would be the day Adam proposed to her.
When summer arrived with no hint of plans for a future together, Tia grew restless. Tired of waiting for him to get around to asking for her hand and fearful he never would, her grandmother insisted Tia go to Portland to visit her great aunt for a few weeks. Only she never came back.
Now, all these years later, Adam had finally asked the question she’d longed most of her life to hear.
And she had to tell him no.
“I can’t marry you, Adam.” Tia pulled her hand from his and slid back on the sofa, putting space between the two of them.
“Why?” Adam asked, taking her hand in his again, meshing their fingers together. Memories of all the times they’d sat with their fingers entwined made fresh pain arc through his chest.
“Because…” Tia scrambled for a reason. She couldn’t verbalize a single one with Adam sitting so close, filling her nose with his manly scent and her heart with his willingness to sacrifice his freedom for her son.
“That’s not a reason, Queenie.” The teasing smile he gave her did great justice to the dimples in his cheeks while wreaking havoc on her ability to reason. “Please, Tia, will you please marry me?”
“I can’t.” She pulled her hand away again and rose, turning to stare out the window at the serene, snowy scene of her front yard. Chickadees pecked at the birdseed she’d helped Toby set out in a flat pan. The fluttering of vermilion wings added a splash of color to the blanket of white as two cardinals darted from the fence to another dish holding seeds.
Finally, she turned to face him. “It wouldn’t be fair to you to accept your proposal of marriage for the sake of getting me out of this predicament.” A sigh escaped her. She glanced down, brushing at a speck of lint clinging to the front of her deep green and navy striped gown. “It’s a mess of my own making and I’ll figure out how to deal with it. I could always take Toby and agree to live with Cedric and Catherine. At least that way, I know we’d be together.”
“Until they kicked you out or found some other way to torment you.” Adam got to his feet and moved until he stood so close to her, the toes of his boots touched the tips of her shoes beneath the hem of her skirt.
When she continued staring at her feet, Adam cupped her
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