the store for many years and was a valued customer.
“My, you are certainly spartan. I hugged the stove this morning to get warm.”
“Silly girl. Your daddy knows better than to—oh, sorry, Sally, I didn’t mean—sometimes I forget things. You’re doing fine. I’m here to get some more yarn.”
The mention of Sally’s father shocked her for a moment, but she quickly pulled herself together. “Right this way, Mrs Grabowski,” Sally said, and led the way to the yarn, discussing the various colors available with the elderly lady. Once she had waited on Mrs Grabowski, she dealt with the two lady shoppers who had entered the store earlier and were buying the same gifts for their daughters. She gift-wrapped their items and thanked them for their patronage.
Then Hunter brought the gentleman to the cash register and began putting the garments the man was buying into boxes after Sally had rang up each item. By the time the man paid his bill, a substantial one, his purchases were ready to go.
“Did you find out who he is?” Sally asked.
“You want me to get personal with the man?” Hunter asked, raising his brows.
“I just wondered where he was from, I haven’t seen him around here before.”
“He just bought the Gibson farm. He and his wife are going to retire here.”
“Oh, how wonderful. Tom and Ellen had been hoping it would sell by Christmas. I hadn’t heard that they’d managed to sell it. That’s great.”
“I’m glad I could provide the information to you,” Hunter said.
“Well, it is important, Hunter. We’re a small community, and we like to keep up with changes in the ownership.”
“Shall we print up a newsletter for you to pass out?”
“No. That’s not necessary, and I don’t appreciate your sarcasm. It’s important to know everything about your customers, that way you can help them better.” Sally realized she and Hunter came from very different worlds. She was going to have a lot to teach him.
“I was only teasing. Is there a newspaper in town? I’ll have to subscribe.”
“I think you’re making fun of me, Hunter, but yes we do have a newspaper. You can find it in the box right outside the store. You should take a look—you could learn a lot about our customers by studying the paper,” Sally answered, slightly annoyed at Hunter’s teasing.
“I believe you. And maybe I was making a little fun of you, Sally, but not much. You’re too smart, from what I can see, for me to make fun of you.”
“Thank you…I think.”
He smiled at her. “You can be sure. My parents taught me to recognize a smart person.”
Before Sally could say anything in reply, Mary and Ethel arrived for work. She introduced Hunter to them, explaining that he was going to be working for her for the next couple of weeks.
Hunter immediately turned on his smile and expressed pleasure in meeting them and both ladies melted at once.
Sally suggested they show Hunter around as he was just learning the departments and they both beamed agreeing this would be a good idea. Sally walked away from the threesome, pleased to have time alone. At least, that’s what she told herself.
Settling down with the store’s accounts, she caught up on the entries and made the calculations as necessary. Then she closed the books and put them away. Once that was done, she got out her lunch and began to eat alone. She didn’t go out on to the floor to figure out what was taking so long with the tour of the store. She figured she could check on the threesome after she ate her lunch.
When she did finally go out on the floor, she discovered the store was full of shoppers. Sally realized that she must have been daydreaming as she hadn’t heard the bell ring once. As she looked around she could see that all three of her salespeople, including Hunter, were helping someone, and there were others waiting. Sally immediately assisted those waiting and having made an inroad on these customers, she looked up to see where the other three were working. She could see that they had each taken other shoppers so Sally went to the cash register and began ringing up sales.
Every time she rang up sales by another person, she marked the ticket by using the initials of the salesperson. If she didn’t remember, she would ask the purchaser who helped him or her. A lot of purchasers were willing to name their salesperson. Those who couldn’t would only say they had a man wait on them so they had to have had Hunter.
Several hours later, they finally had a lull and Sally sent both ladies to have a cup of coffee. “Even if we get busy again, I think Hunter can take a break if the three of us are on the floor.”
“Of course,” Mary said. “But will Hunter be able to make his cup of coffee?”
“He’d better be, or he won’t get any to drink.”
Hunter gave her a lazy grin. “Don’t fret about it, Sally. I can make a cup of coffee.”
“I felt sure you could.”
She turned her back on him, hoping she could hide the wave of attraction that ran over her when he smiled.
“Going somewhere?” he asked.
“No, I was just looking over the store. I think the jeans section needs straightening.”
“I’ll be glad to take care of it.”
“No! I—very well. Thank you.”
Hunter strolled to the jeans section and began straightening it.
Sally looked around the store and found another section that required attention. She needed something to stay busy, otherwise, she’d be staring at Hunter all day! He had a particularly graceful style about him as he worked.
Sally remembered a young man who had once been in Bailey temporarily because he’d been banished to his grandparents by his parents. Sally had thought herself in love with him at one time, but her father had warned her that pretty is as pretty does. Did Hunter know that expression? Or was he used to proving his way, rather than charming his way?
She’d vote for charming. It was in his genes, she thought, and not the jeans he was sorting. It was obvious he could turn on his charm at a moment’s notice.
Sally decided that maybe it was time to put Hunter Bedford in his place. He’d said that he would stay until Christmas Eve, but maybe it would be better if he only stayed for a few days. Then he could return to Denver, the big city, never to return to Bailey.
The phone rang and Sally hurried to answer. It wasn’t often that they had phone calls. “Bailey General Store,” she said cheerfully.
“Is this Sally Rogers?”
“Yes, it is. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Miss Rogers, this is Wilbur Hunt. I hope my grandson is behaving himself.”
Sally smiled at the voice on the other end of the line. “Hello, Mr Hunt. Yes,
