Free The Christmas Vow by Shanna Hatfield

the house and pulled the pies from the oven. Enthralled with Adam and the affectionate interaction between him and Toby, she’d completely forgotten about her pies.
    The crust was darker than she liked, but at least they weren’t black, as Adam had suggested.
    His chuckles floated back to her as he strode outside and down the porch steps.
     

Chapter Six
     
    A knock at the front door caught Tia by surprise as she slid a chicken into the oven to roast for dinner.
    Swiftly wiping off her hands and removing her apron, she hurried to the door as someone knocked a second time.
    An impeccably dressed man stood on the front step, holding his hat in his hand as she opened the door.
    “Mrs. Devereux?” He smiled in a seemingly friendly manner.
    “Yes?” Tia had no idea who the man was as she took in his stocky, short build. A hint of foreboding settled like a lump of unpalatable mush in the pit of her stomach.
    Although his clothes were expensive, the man appeared out of place in them, like an actor playing a part. In spite of how he looked, Tia had no problem picturing the man as a ruffian.
    “I’m Edward Nivens. The Honorable Cedric Devereux retained my services in the matter of guardianship of his grandson.”
    “What?” Tia took a staggering step back and bumped into Toby as he ran to the door to see who had arrived.
    The little boy sensed her fear and clung to her hand. “Mama?”
    Tia forced a smile to her face and turned to her son. “Sweetheart, would you run into the kitchen to make sure we have enough cookies for today? If we have additional visitors, we might need to bake more.”
    “Okay,” Toby said, dragging his toes and staring at the strange man over his shoulder as he shuffled to the kitchen.
    When he was out of earshot, Tia returned her attention to the man who lingered in her doorway. “What is the meaning of this?”
    “Judge Devereux is concerned about his grandson’s wellbeing. Since he did not receive a reply to the letter he sent, he began proceedings to seek guardianship of the child. I’m to serve these papers to you and, if you’re in agreement, bring the child back to Portland with me.”
    “Of course I’m not in agreement!” Tia hissed, refusing to take the thick envelope Mr. Nivens held out to her. “Has Cedric lost his mind? The only way he’ll get guardianship of Toby is over my cold, dead body.”
    “I believe he’s willing to consider that as a possibility.” Mr. Nivens leered at her and stepped inside the house.
    The cold gleam in his eyes sent fear slithering along Tia’s spine. “Get out of my house and don’t ever come back!”
    “I’ll remain here until the boy is in my keeping. You might as well get his things because whether you willingly send him today or I take him by force, he’s still going.”
    “I won’t allow it! I won’t!” Tia regulated the volume of her voice so it wouldn’t carry to the kitchen and frighten Toby. However, her tone clearly conveyed her disgust and dismay. “I insist you leave this instant or I’ll…”
    The man grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back. “Or you’ll what, missy? Seems to me you don’t…”
    A blur of white fur launched across the room and latched onto Mr. Nivens’ leg. He howled in pain as Crabby dug in his claws and rapidly climbed upward. Screeches rang through the house as Mr. Nivens attempted to shake off the enraged feline while the cat snarled and spat, furiously inching toward the man’s head.
    Bits of white fur floated like fluffy snowflakes in the air as the man tried to grab the writhing feline. Sharp teeth sunk into his palm, drawing blood. Mr. Nivens waved his bleeding hand in the air as he gaped in utter disbelief at Crabby.
    “Get this demented beast off me!” he shouted, panicked as the cat continued his ascent.
    Unaware of the danger, Toby ran into the room and sank onto the floor with laughter, watching the man spin in circles as the cat clung to his chest.
    Tia took advantage