“You, and Mr. North Star up there,” she replied. “Now I have both of you to guide me.”
When they returned to Last Chance, Lisa and Willard quickly fell into the rhythm of a new daily life. Lisa began assisting him in his duties, and the mayor quickly realized there was a place for her in Last Chance doing something similar to what Willard was doing.
But there was a fly in the ointment with all that. The election was coming, and Sally was putting everything she had into helping Carson get elected.
His prospects weren't very good, but what if Carson actually won? That would upset the apple cart of her new life with Willard, who enjoyed working for Owen Standard beyond measure.
Moreover, there was another issue at hand. Lisa and Willard hadn't discussed their wedding plans in detail yet, but Lisa wanted to be married together with Sally, on Christmas day, in a joint wedding. She could see the event clearly in her mind and had discussed it with Sally, but Willard remained unaware of what she was thinking for the moment.
As the election drew closer, she knew it was an issue that had to be broached. Just as Lisa began thinking of where and how to do it, though, she got another surprise that would change everything.
“We're starting a new town!” Sally said, her face flushed with excitement. The workday had ended, and Lisa's head was spinning with facts and figures, the end result of helping Willard plan the post-election town census.
“Excuse me?” she said, grinning at her friend.
“Carson and I,” Sally began, bubbling over with enthusiasm.
“Whoa, slow down,” Lisa said as they walked back to the hotel. What are you talking about? The election's in two days.”
“I know,” Sally said, nodding in excitement. “And Carson and I have both agreed that our chances aren't good. We can't win.”
“Really? That seems. . .abrupt.” Lisa looked at her friend with some concern, alarmed that she might be giving up too quickly. “Are you sure about this?”
Sally shrugged. “Unfortunately, yes. It's been staring us in the face for weeks now.”
She opened the door for Lisa when they reached the hotel. “Hence the new town,” Sally added.
Lisa grinned. “Just like that, huh?”
Sally smiled sheepishly. “Well, we have done some planning,” she said. “We spent the day going door to door, interviewing prospects who want to rebuild First View. There are enough people to do it, and we're going to call the new town Fresh Start.”
“Really?” Lisa pondered the idea for a moment. “That actually makes a lot of sense. . . not to mention that it sounds quite exciting!”
“I'm glad you think so,” Sally replied, buoyed by Lisa's endorsement. “And there's something else.”
“Oh?” Lisa shook her head. “As if that weren't enough?”
Sally blushed. “We've actually told Mayor Standard about it,” she said.
“You have? What did he say?”
“He approves,” Sally replied as they walked to their room. “We discussed the particulars of it in some detail. We're going to concede the election tomorrow in a joint announcement.”
“Wow,” Lisa said, stunned. She started to think through the ramifications of it, and so many questions popped into her mind that she was momentarily overwhelmed. Then she broke it down to the most important one.
“So you and Carson will be living in this new town? Fresh Start?” Lisa asked. “And what of your wedding?”
Sally grinned. “It will be in Fresh Start, on Christmas Day,” she said simply. “You know how much I've always wanted to get married on that day.”
“I do,” Lisa said, recalling their many conversations about it. She couldn't help thinking about how this upended things with the stability of her situation with Willard.
“I was going to ask you to be my maid of honor, of course,” Sally said as they entered their room. “But all of this just happened, quite honestly, so I've been working up to it.”
“Understandable,” Lisa said. “It is a very sudden change.”
Sally looked at her friend, sensing a sudden change in Lisa's mood. “Is something wrong?” she asked. “You seem. . .pensive.”
Lisa realized that she'd been lost in thought, and she shook her head.
“Oh!” she said suddenly. “No. . .yes, I mean. I'm fine!”
“It looked like you were somewhere else for a moment,” Sally said.
“No, I'm here” Lisa said, smiling. “And of course I'd be delighted to be your maid of honor.”
“Are you sure?” Sally asked, slightly puzzled by Lisa's reaction.
“Yes!” Lisa exclaimed. “But there's something I have to do first.”
Lisa was quite hungry, and she knew she should have dinner with Sally before she ran her little errand. But Sally's news had unsettled her greatly, and Lisa realized immediately that she needed to discuss it with Willard.
Fortunately, she knew he'd be working late at town hall, so she made the short walk back to his office. She could see the lamp shining from the conference room, and she imagined him poring over his charts and reports, making decisions that would help keep Last Chance humming along.
How would this work, she asked herself. As soon as Sally had conveyed her news, Lisa realized that she wanted to live near her friend, to maintain the closeness of their friendship. It was important to her, perhaps even more so than she at first realized.
Moreover, she definitely wanted to get married on Christmas Day. And in a joint ceremony, at that. How would she reconcile that with her situation with Willard, and his job in Last Chance?
The only way to find out was to ask, Lisa finally decided. So she made her way to the conference room, noticing that the mayor had already left for the day. Perhaps he was preparing his speech at home, and Lisa couldn't help but wonder if she could have assisted him with that.
She tapped on the door gently, then opened it slowly, not wanting to startle Willard. Lisa knew how much he tended to get lost in thought, so she entered slowly, and with some trepidation after what she'd just learned from Sally.
“Why hello there!” Willard said in greeting. He got up from the table and smiled as she approached. “I was just thinking I could use a break.”
Lisa did her best to manage a smile. “Well, here I am,” she said.
“What's wrong?” he asked, immediately recognizing how out of sorts Lisa seemed.
Unlike Willard, Lisa wasn't one to beat around the bush, so she simply decided to tell him her news.
“I just talked to Sally,” she said. “It seems things have taken a sudden turn.”
He pointed at the chair next to him, immediately concerned. “Sit, please,” he said, foregoing their usual chaste embrace. “Lets talk about it.”
“All right,” Lisa replied, still wondering how this could possibly be worked out.
“Has something happened?” Willard asked.
“In a manner of speaking,” she said. “I just learned that Carson and Sally intend to concede the election and start a new town. They're going to call it Fresh Start.”
“Really?” Willard shook his head in surprise. “I was wondering why the mayor seemed so different today. Almost out of sorts.”
“Yes,” Lisa said. “It seems they've already discussed it with him.”
“I thought I saw them here earlier today,” he replied. “And he did quickly mention something about an announcement of some sort tomorrow. So their visit and the announcement must have been related to that.”
“I agree,” she said softly. “It was a shock, to say the least.”
“I can imagine,” Willard acknowledged, thinking about the closeness of Lisa's friendship with Sally. “So tell me your thoughts about it.”
Lisa looked into Willard's eyes, which were eager with anticipation. He would do anything to please her, she thought to herself, she knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt from the time she'd spent with him.
So perhaps she should just come out with it, the changes she
wanted to make, and let the chips fall where they may.
“I have many thoughts about this,” Lisa began. “So maybe I should just voice them.”
“Absolutely,” Willard said, reaching for her hand. “I prefer things to be direct as well.”
Buoyed by the warmth of his hand in hers, Lisa took a moment to organize her thoughts.
“I would like to get married on Christmas Day in the new town, Fresh Start, together with Sally and Carson,” Lisa began, realizing how drastic a change she was proposing. “And I would like you to consider living there and working there, with me.”
“Wow!” Willard said, temporarily overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all. Fortunately, though, he was a planner by nature, so the ability to shift and make last-minute changes was a strong part of his makeup.
“Is it too much for you?” Lisa asked in concern, pressing his hand gently in both of hers.
Willard paused, then shook his head slightly. “No, not at all,” he replied, then slowly smiled. “And I do love the idea of getting married in Fresh Start, even though its something I never really considered.”
He tilted his head. “Truth is, I never thought I'd get married at all.” Willard said honestly.
“Well, that part of it is carved in stone as far as I'm concerned,” Lisa said.
“That is what matters most,” Willard replied, leaning over and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “You are my future.”
Lisa squeezed his hand, then laughed slightly. “Although the geography does seem to have been thrown off a bit,” she said.
Willard shrugged, as if all of this was nothing. “It just requires a bit of creative thinking, that's all.
“Well, I've been over it multiple times,” Lisa said. “And I must confess, I have no answers.”
He smiled. “But you're quite new to the situation,” he pointed out. “I know how things work out here, and that gives me access to more possible solutions.”
“Such as?”
“Hmm. . .let me think on that for a moment.” Suddenly Willard got up from the table, and Lisa watched in amazement as he began to pace around it. He began walking faster, until finally it looked like he was about to break into a trot.
“Are you all right, love?” Lisa asked finally.
“Hmm?” he asked, barely slowing down to look at her. “Oh, you mean all the movement?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “You're beginning to worry me.”
“Fear not,” Willard said, deftly dodging a large chair at the head of the table. “This is just how I get my thoughts going when I'm faced with a complex problem.”
“Well then,” Lisa said. “We're certainly going to need a large house. Or perhaps one with a big yard.”
“I am open to both of those possibilities,” he said. “Although I've made allowances for both in my current dwelling.”
“Thinking ahead as always,” she mused. “Why am I not surprised?”
Willard grinned as he continued to walk. “It is what I do, after all.
And usually when I do it for long enough I come up with a solution.”
Lisa watched in silence as the pacing continued. The rhythm of it was fascinating—at times Willard would speed up, then slow down, and there were a couple of short intervals when he almost stopped completely.
Did that mean he'd found a solution?
Not exactly. Willard continued to walk, until finally Lisa thought he might wear a hole in the floor. Then, during a brief surge of speed before rounding the corner of the table, he suddenly spoke.
“Got it!” he said. “I have an answer!”
“You do?”
“Absolutely.” Finally he did stop, and for a moment Willard looked exhausted. He sat down next to Lisa, and she put her hand gently on his shoulder.
“Are you all right?” she asked, her eyes filled with concern.
“Never better,” he said. “And I know exactly what we're going to do.”
Lisa shook her head. “Which is?”
“We're going to manage two towns,” he said, growing excited again. “And you're going to help me!”
“I am?” Lisa looked around, thinking he had to be talking about someone else. She had no experience managing a town, and at times the details of what Willard did seemed overwhelming to her.
“Of course,” he said, grinning. “Think about it. Fresh Start will need a town manager as well, and it's safe to say there's no one else other than me who's capable of doing the job.”
“But what about Last Chance?” she said, frowning in concern.
“I can manage more than one town at once, as long as the towns themselves aren't too big,” Willard said confidently. “The towns are certainly close enough to make that possible. And besides, I'll have you to help me.”
“Me?” Lisa asked, shaking her head in doubt.
“Yes!” he exclaimed, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “It would take no time for me to formally teach you how to do my duties.”
Lisa looked into Willard's eyes, which were blazing. He was dead serious about this, she realized, and more than capable of it as well.
As she continued to think it through, Lisa imagined it in her mind's eye, trying to visualize whether it would work or not. It was eminently possible, that was certainly true, and if anyone had the zeal and passion to pull it off, it was Willard Jameson, mild-mannered town clerk.
“We can do this, can't we?” she said finally.
“We can indeed!” he exclaimed. “But only with your full approval.”
“I do approve,” Lisa said, loving the combination of his ingenuity and creativity. “But there is one small issue we'd need to resolve.”
“And what might that be?” Willard asked.
“Geography,” she said. “And logistics. Where will we live?”
For a fraction of a second Willard seemed stumped, and Lisa thought he would get up and begin pacing again. He actually started to rise from his chair, but a new wave of inspiration seemed to hit him as he did, and Willard sat down as quickly as he'd risen.
“We'll live in Fresh Start,” he said, softly but firmly. “So you can be near Sally and Carson.”
“But what about Last Chance?” Lisa asked again.”Won't you miss it?”
Willard grinned. “Not if I'm here every day, or every other day at the most,” he explained. “And we can keep a cottage here if one or both of us needs to be here in Last Chance for whatever reason.”
“Hmm,” Lisa said, thinking the concept through. “Living in two places.”
“Yes,” Willard said, seeing her concern. “It will be tricky. But think about the other aspect of it.”
“Which is?”
“We'll get to live in two wonderful Western towns at once,” he proclaimed. “Last Chance, and the new town, Fresh Start, which will be built on most of the same principles. Sort of a variation of a theme.”
Lisa smiled, realizing he was right about that. “That does sound wonderful,” she agreed.
“I'm so glad you think so!” Willard said, leaning over and giving her a peck on the cheek. “That means there's only one thing left to do.”
“And what might that be?”
“Tell the mayor,” he said. “And get his approval.”
They went to the mayor's office the next morning, eager to discuss the possibility with him. Owen was busy preparing his statement about the election and Carson's succession, but he looked up as soon as they knocked, obviously eager for a brief respite from the task.
“Hello there!” he greeted. “You two are a welcome sight for sore eyes.”
“Working on the announcement?” Willard asked as they walked in.
“Of course,” Owen replied. “I was going to tell you about that this morning. I wasn't sure if you knew about it or not.”
“Lisa filled me in on it yesterday,” he replied. “And we discussed it quite thoroughly.”
“Oh?” the mayor asked, his eyebrows lifting slightly. “That sounds intrig
uing.”
“It was,” Willard said, nodding. “That's actually what we're here about.”
“I don't understand,” Owen replied, frowning in confusion.
Lisa cocked her head, deciding it was time to enter the conversation. “I'm afraid it's a little complicated,” she said, smiling slightly.
“Well, then,” the mayor said, peering over the spectacles he was using to write his speech. “Why don't you sit down and tell me about it?”
They explained their plan, trying to keep it as condensed and simple as possible. Lisa let Willard do most of the talking, because he had the lion's share of the knowledge about the details that had to be covered.
But she was careful to interject a sentence or three here and there. She wanted the mayor to know this was coming from both of them, and Lisa also wanted him to recognize the emotional part of it, how important it was to both of them, their love for one another and the life they wished to live together.
Fortunately, it didn't take long to convince the mayor. He interrupted with occasional questions, which were mostly about the details of running Last Chance. Lisa let Willard handle those, as was proper, but she also did her part to make sure Owen knew she was as concerned about the well-being of Last Chance as both men were.
“Well, then,” the mayor said when they were done discussing it. “It does seem that this is something you both very much have your hearts set on doing.”
“We do,” Lisa said demurely, bowing her head as she replied. “Every aspect of it is quite important to us.”
“I can see that,” Owen replied. He looked at Willard and smiled. “And you've been your thorough self in making sure all of the details get covered properly.”
Willard blushed slightly at the compliment. “Well, you're well aware of how much I care about Last Chance and everyone in it,” he replied.
“Indeed I am,” the mayor said. “And I suspect that the new citizens of Fresh Start will very much benefit from that experience as well.”
“They will?” Willard asked, blinking.
“Of course,” Owen said. “I don't see any reason why it can't work.”
“Why, that's wonderful!” Lisa exclaimed, feeling her eyes begin to tear up. “We certainly can't thank you enough for all of this.”
Christmas Miracles: Mega Mail Order Bride 20-Book Box Set: Multi-Author Box Set Page 79
