“Darcy Fitzgerald,” she said. “I’m friends with Charlie’s aunt. I was looking for them at the skate house, and his aunt said they came over here to play in the snow.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Looks like you had a little too much fun with the snowplow.”

“We’re sorry,” said Charlie. “We didn’t mean it.”

“I was just going to call Logan,” said Chief McKnight, taking out a phone.

Charlie wished he could freeze into an icicle and not feel so terrible. Everything that had happened was bad, but knowing his dad was about to get a call from the police was the worst.

“Wait a moment,” Darcy said. “Do you mind if I have a word with you?”

She and the police chief stepped to the other side of the car and had a quick, quiet conversation. A few minutes later, the chief said, “So here’s the deal. I’m going to move the snowplow, and you kids are going to rebuild the manger. I’m letting you off with a warning this time, but if you ever pull a stunt like this again—”

“We won’t,” Charlie said.

“Never, ever, we swear on a stack of Bibles,” André added.

The chief drove the snowplow back to its parking spot. Darcy looked at Charlie and then at André.

Charlie shook in his shoes. What if she decided to act like the stepmonster and rat him out to his dad? Oh man.

“All right, you two,” she said. “Let’s get moving. We’ve got work to do.”

Dark came early to the mountain on Christmas Eve, and outside the window, the winter sky brooded with the weight of a coming storm. The airways were filled with warnings of a lake-effect blizzard. Darcy’s phone vibrated with messages from her sisters and parents to make sure she was all right.

She was returning a text to Lydia when India handed her a mug redolent of wine and spices. “Glühwein,” she said. “Traditional in Tyrolia, I’m told. They made it over at the Powder Room for the overnight guests.”

Darcy took a sip. “Oh, that’s nice.”

India gestured at her phone. “Everything all right?”

“My sister just wanted to make sure we’re not going to freeze to death in the storm.”

“I heard it was going to hit around midnight.”

“It’s kind of exciting,” said Darcy.

“Let’s hope the power stays on.” India studied her. “You look good.”

“As opposed to...?”

“I thought you might be depressed, missing your family, that sort of thing.”

“I’m fine.”

“So, you and Logan—”