SALLY ROGERS was standing in the window of the Bailey General Store, trying to attain a more attractive display. She was beginning to think it was a lost cause when an idea suddenly struck her. As she began to change the window, she was interrupted by a gentleman she had noticed entering the store earlier.
âExcuse me. Iâm looking for the owner of the store.â
She looked over her shoulder to see a tall, dignified man, younger than she expected, waiting for her attention.
âWhy?â she asked, feeling a little bothered at being interrupted.
âBecause I have business to discuss with him.â
âSorry, not right now. The store owner is very busy at the moment,â she said. It had been a long day and Sally was tired. She had a lot on her plate with the business, not to mention that she was still coming to terms with the devastating deaths of her parents. Suddenly the store had been left in her hands and she was finding all the decisions to be made to be almost too much.
âIâm sorry, miss, but I donât think thatâs your decision,â the man said sternly.
Sally stepped down from the window, pushing a long strand of blond hair behind an ear. âActually, yes, it is, and youâre interrupting. I just figured out what to do with the window and I really donât have time to stop and talk to you now.â
âYou?â the man asked in shock. âYouâre the owner?â
âYes, Iâm the owner.â Sally started across the store looking for the item that she knew would work in the window.
To her surprise, the man followed her. âWhat are you doing?â he asked.
âNot that itâs any of your business, but Iâm getting the stepladder. Itâs going in the window.â
âThe stepladder? Why?â the man questioned.
Sally gave him a wry smile; she obviously wasnât going to get rid of him that easily. âWell, if you must know, Iâm going to use it to display some shirts in the window. It needs some vertical lift.â She reached for the ladder, but before she could pick it up the man lifted it out of Sallyâs hands.
âAllow me to carry it for you. And I agree, by the way, this will display the shirts well.â
Sally was now getting very annoyed by this man and stood staring at him. âThank you for offering, but I can carry it myself.â
The man smiled at her, obviously not planning on letting Sally win. âLook, I need to talk to you and you are very busy. Iâm here, I might as well help out.â
Sighing, Sally led the way back across the store to the front window display. She stepped up into the window and then reached for the ladder as he held it up to her. Spreading the legs of the ladder apart she began to hang the shirts on different levels, until she was at last happy with the display.
When she had finished, Sally went outside to see how her efforts looked from the customersâ point of view. To her surprise, she found the stranger right beside her as she evaluated the window.
âNice job. Um, how long have you owned the store?â
âNot long, just since the deaths of my parents.â
The man looked at the ground. âNo wonder my ownership information wasnât accurate.â
Sally said quietly, âDid your ownership information list Bob Rogers as the owner?â
âYes, thatâs right. I take it that was your dad?â
âI inherited it when my parents died.â
The man stared at Sally. She shrugged. âSorry, I shouldâve said it more politely, but itâs still hard for me toâto go into detail with people. Both my parents were killed in a car crash, along with my aunt and uncle. Iâve been owner of Baileyâs General Store ever since.â
âThen what I have to sayâI mean, of course you may not want to hold to the agreement. I guess we can talk about it, but I thinkââ
âLook, Iâm tired and I donât know what youâre talking about,â Sally said with a sigh.
âYour father didnât tell you Iâd be coming here?â
Sally turned to stare at the man. He looked like he belonged in a GQ ad, not standing in her country store. âMy father? How would my father have known that you were coming?â
The man shifted, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. âHe and my grandfather struck up a deal.â
âYour grandfather? Who is your grandfather?â
âWilbur Hunt, of the Hunt Corporation out of Denver.â The young man looked as if he expected Sally to be impressed.
âI donât believe I found any letters from the Hunt Corporation for any reason when I went through my fatherâs papers. Certainly not dealing with an arrangement that wouldâwhat kind of a deal?â
âI was to work here in the store for your father for the second half of the month.â
Sally stared at him as if heâd spoken a second language. âYou must be kidding. Thatâs ridiculous!â
âWhy is it ridiculous?â
âBecause my father hasâhad enough help for Christmas.â