“I know.” Conner matched him scoop for scoop. The snow was wet and heavy—heavy enough to have broken an aging church roof with its weight. “As the retiring mayor, Maggie wanted a big celebration for the whole town. Now there’s no place to have it. What can they do besides postpone the wedding, or maybe have a simple ceremony somewhere and throw a party for the town this summer?”

Rush paused to catch his breath, leaning on the shovel for support. “Tracy and I were asking each other the same questions over breakfast this morning. We wanted to help them, but we couldn’t think of how. That was when Clara came up with a great idea.”

“You say Clara came up with it?”

“Hey, my little girl’s a sharp kid, as you should know.”

“Yes, I do.” Conner chuckled. “Last year, when she stayed with us, she outsmarted me at every turn. So, what did she have in mind?”

“I’ll tell you while we finish shoveling. Let me know what you think.”

Conner listened while Rush talked. He had to admit that Clara’s idea wasn’t bad. “It’s not perfect,” he said as they finished clearing the driveway and carried the shovels to the porch. “But it’s better than anything else we’ve come up with.”

“So you think it might work?” Rush said.

“Maggie would have to agree to it. If we can convince her, the rest should be easy enough.”

“So, are you willing to go to Maggie’s place now and lay out our plan? If she says yes, we won’t have a lot of time.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Then things will be no worse off than before. All we can do is try,” Rush said. “Let’s go.”

Rush had the radio on in the Hummer. Burl Ives was singing “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” Conner didn’t feel very jolly this morning. He forced himself to look pleasant as Rush drove along the lane to where it looped back to join the highway. The distance took a few extra minutes, but the heavy-duty tire tracks would open up the road for others who might need to venture out.

“Travis tells me you broke up with Megan,” he said.

“It was more like Megan broke up with me.” Conner gazed through the windshield at the snowy landscape. Trees, fields, fences, buildings, and vehicles were covered in a thick blanket of white.

“Care to tell me about it?” Rush asked.

“Maybe later. It’s complicated. And I’m feeling like I got dragged by that bull all over again.”

“That bad, huh?” Rush turned onto the main road and headed back toward town.

“That bad. I thought I’d found something real with her. But I said the wrong thing at the wrong time, hit a sensitive spot, and kabloom!”