Holding Out for Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch #3)(68)

“I did. Travis called me. Lord, I wouldn’t want to be him right now. Maggie must be a nervous wreck.”

“He called me, too,” Rush said. “I just dropped Clara at your neighbors’ place so Tracy could go and give Maggie some emotional support. Maggie’s a tough woman, but sometimes life isn’t fair. She had her heart set on taking a walk down that aisle. Now . . .” He shrugged. “They can still get married, but it won’t be the same.”

“What are they going to do?” Conner asked. “The invitations are out. Everything was in place—until the storm moved in.”

“I’m guessing Maggie and Travis are still in shock.” Rush scooped a shovelful of snow and flung it to one side of the driveway. “And it’s not just them. I think most of the town was looking forward to seeing those two get married.”

“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!”

Rush couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Too bad, partner. You’ve broken your share of hearts. Now it’s your turn to bleed.”

“Well, just so you know, I haven’t given up. Megan’s one in a million. But she told me in no uncertain terms not to call her. She sounded like she meant it.”

“Did she tell you why?”

“Yeah, she did. I was a jerk. I can’t blame her for getting upset.”

“Wow. What did you say?”

“Not much. Just being my old insensitive self.” Conner wasn’t ready to tell the full story. At least he could respect Megan’s secret enough to keep it to himself.

“I remember her saying she didn’t plan to be at the Christmas Ball. Too bad you won’t have a chance to see her there and mend some fences.”

“Yeah, too bad,” Conner muttered. Actually, Megan would be there, but not as herself. And she probably wouldn’t give him a second look. The crazy part was, after a year of holding out, dreaming, and fantasizing about the bewitching singer, it wasn’t the woman with fake hair, false eyelashes, and movie star makeup he wanted. It was sweet, sensible Megan with her cute pixie haircut, sparkling brown eyes, kissable pink lips, and caring disposition. For him, she would be the perfect wife—and, damn it, a life with her was what he wanted. He loved her. And if he could talk her into taking him back, he’d be on one knee as soon as he could buy the ring.

*

For the people of Branding Iron, the last Saturday before Christmas was the most celebrated day of the year. For those who didn’t mind waiting in line for a feast, the day started early with a fancy buffet at the Branding Iron Bed and Breakfast. The B and B would close in time for people to finish eating and get to the parade, which started at 10:00.