A Family for Christmas (Contemporary Romance Novella) by Helen Scott Taylor Read Free Book Online

had some challenges recently."
    "Challenges? That's an understatement. My wife walked out on us. If she didn't want to be with me anymore, fine. I accepted that. But Karen made it perfectly clear she didn't want Polly either."
    Shock streaked through Eve. How could a woman not want her own child? "Was she sick?" Eve asked, thinking that the only way Polly's mother could have abandoned her was if she had some kind of mental illness.
    "I really don't know." Tom scrubbed a hand over his face. "I think maybe she was…is. She had postnatal depression. She had treatment and I thought she was okay, but she never bonded with Polly. She just wasn't interested in her. I made sure I earned enough so Karen didn't need to work and could stay home with Polly, but she didn't want to look after her. I had to hire a nanny to help."
    "Maybe your wife didn't like being isolated out here."
    Tom laughed without humor. "We lived near London! She had spas, health clubs, designer stores, everything she needed to keep her happy, right on her doorstep."
    "You were a farmer near London?"
    "Lord, no. I'm not a farmer. I was an investment banker. The farm's a hobby. Polly likes lambs so I keep a few sheep."
    An investment banker? Eve imagined Tom in a suit, his hair clipped shorter. She found she could. Easily. No wonder he didn't have a Devon accent. "So why did you give up your job and come down here?" To live in the middle of nowhere .
    "Work ruled my life. It had to stop. I wasn't going to hire someone to raise my own daughter. I jacked in the high-powered job before it gave me a heart attack and moved us down here. The air's clean, there's plenty of space for Polly to run around without me worrying she'll get run over, and we can spend time together. Karen might not have wanted Polly, but I intend to make damn sure my daughter never doubts that she's the center of my world. We've been here for three years now. We're happy. Just the two of us. I won't ever let a woman screw up my daughter's life again."
    Tom's vehement tone left an uncomfortable aura of finality in its wake. If he saw women as potential threats to Polly's happiness, that explained why he had attempted to keep Eve at a distance.
    She glanced down at her mug and bit her lip. She understood his caution, but it still hurt to think he put her in the same category as a woman who had walked out on her own daughter. Eve would never upset Polly on purpose, but as she considered the matter, she realized that simply getting to know the child and then leaving would upset her.
    Her silly fantasy about staying with Tom and Polly was just that, a fantasy. Tom didn't want a woman in their life, and Eve might be able to combine a family and her career, but not living here on Dartmoor. Her Bristol office was three hours away—on a good day. There was no way she could commute that far to and from work each day.
    She needed to draw a line under this experience, get back to civilization, and move on.
    "I hope the snow melts tomorrow. I need to get to Plymouth for Monday. I have an important meeting with the senior partner of my firm. I'm hoping to be offered a partnership."
    Tom smiled, looking a little contrite, as though he realized he might have come across harshly. "That's wonderful, Eve. Congratulations."
    "I haven't got it yet. But if I do, I'll be the youngest partner in any accounting firm in the South West."
    Eve rose to her feet, holding her empty mug. "Well, I think I'll call it a night. I'm bushed after all that shoveling." She headed for the kitchen and Tom followed.
    "Look, I can keep your car until it's picked up by the salvage company. I have a four-wheel-drive pickup that will make it through most conditions with the snow chains. If you want to leave tomorrow, I'm sure I can get you down to Plymouth."
    "That would be wonderful. It's no good me dawdling my life away out here when I've got work to do."
    "That's settled then. We'll head off tomorrow. I can leave Polly with the