He reached to change the station, but as the words filled the cab—poignant words about loss and regret—his hand hesitated. He imagined Caroline riding beside him, singing along, and pain roared through the gully in his heart like snowmelt rushing down the mountain, washing out everything in its path.

The song might be called “Back to December,” but there was no going back.

“Sorry to leave you hanging for a couple days, Ralph.” Mitch filled his thermos with coffee from the pot and glanced around the town office. “And with all that snow to clear.”

Ralph shrugged. “Jimmy pitched in. And Janice didn’t mind my working late. She said that Frank said your mom’s doing better?”

Mitch took a swig of coffee. Same as him, Ralph never called Frank “Pastor Frank” like most everyone else. He’d rather go a couple of rounds with a grizzly than darken the door of Moose Creek Community Church. But Janice was a faithful attender.

“I don’t know about better, but she’s home.”

“Lucky Bea found her when she did.”

The story had already spread through town. Mitch nodded, his mind struggling to focus, to shake off the image of his wife sitting beside him in the truck, singing along to the radio. He clenched his jaw. He had a lot of work to do, and it was time to get to it. He was lucky he’d been able to take Monday and Tuesday off, no questions asked.

He and Ralph pulled on their coats and left the office to step into the sunshine. Mitch squinted in the sudden brightness.

“You want to start north, and I’ll start south?” Ralph asked. “Meet in the middle?”

It was twelve degrees this morning, although temperatures were expected to rise to the upper forties by Friday. They needed to inspect all the town drains before the snow started melting. Clear any obstructions to avoid flooding.

“Sure.”

Ralph gave him a two-finger salute and headed toward one town truck as Mitch headed for the other. Before either of them reached their vehicles, a voice rang out through the crisp air.

“Yoo-hoo.”

Mitch froze. Funny how sound carried farther and more clearly when it was cold.

“Mitch, I was hoping I’d run into you.”

He spun to face the woman approaching him. Marge. He glanced over at Ralph, hoping he had gotten in his truck and would soon drive away, but no such luck. Ralph had stopped midstride and turned around to watch. Boy, oh boy.

Marge came closer and smiled. “I stopped by your house, and Jeremy said you were back at work today.”

Of course he had. And what else had Jeremy told her?