Chapter One—Robin Retailer

     There was a gray fog, swirling, dense, cold. Frightening. But slowly it began to clear. A little light, then a little more began to shine in the sky. The fog separated, thinned, and the light became brighter. Then, someone walking towards her. A dark figure, yet strangely familiar. He called her name. She saw his face…Rob…
     Robin Morrow opened her eyes, then shut them quickly as there was too much light. Then more slowly she cracked her lids. All was still a blur. She no longer saw Rob Conners. But she heard voices.
     “She’s waking up.”
     “Thank God.”
     “Will she be ok, doc?”
     “Yes. The worst is over. It will take her awhile to recuperate, but she’ll be back to normal soon. At least physically.”
     Robin recognized some of these voices, but only one name came to mind. Aunt Martha. She finally got her eyes opened and focused. She saw several faces—yes, there was Aunt Martha. The doctor. What’s his name? I can’t remember. Jennie Adams. Susan Markum. Allie Kirk. Familiar, warm faces and they made her feel better.
     Her Aunt Martha spoke first. “How do feel, dear?”
     It took a moment for Robin to remember what happened. The battle… Sonny…the rifle shot…her back…darkness. My back…It hurts. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She tried to swallow, but there was nothing to swallow. “Water,” she managed to whisper.
     The doctor stepped forth. “I can’t let you eat or drink much yet, Miss Morrow, but we can get you started very slowly. You’ve been unconscious for almost a week, so your body is dehydrated, but it can’t handle much food or water immediately. Suck on this a few moments.” He put a wet washcloth to her lips and Robin greedily sucked moisture out of it. That tasted soooo good. The doctor took the cloth away before she was ready, and said, “A little more later. That’s all for now. To repeat your aunt’s question, how are you feeling?”
     The water helped stave off the worst of her thirst, but she certainly wanted more. She took inventory. “I feel…thirsty.”
     “That’s good. Hungry?”
     She thought about that a moment. “No.”
     “Your appetite will come back. I’ll let you have some soup soon. What else do you feel?”
     “Tired. My back…hurts.” In fact, it was really beginning to throb. Robin closed her eyes and grimaced. “What…happened?”
     “You were shot in the back, just below the kidney. Fortunately, no vital organ was hit, but you lost a lot of blood. I had to dig the bullet out; it was too close to your spine. Now, think hard before you answer my next question. Can you feel your feet?”
     Robin considered it. She wiggled her toes, but that hurt. “Yes. I can feel them.”
     The doctor sighed and was obviously relieved. “I feared that the bullet might have struck your spine and paralyzed you. But if you can feel your feet, you’ll be ok.”
     She heard a sob and saw her Aunt Martha wiping a tear from her eye. Good old, Aunt Martha…and then Robin almost laughed. That wasn’t what I thought about her a few weeks ago…She looked at the doctor. “A…week?”
     He nodded. “Frankly, I didn’t think you were going to live. Loss of blood, high fever, the surgery. It was touch and go for a few days. But two days ago your fever broke and you calmed down. That’s when I knew you’d make it.”
     “Doctor!” A voice called from across the room.
     “Be right there,” he said. Then to Robin, “I need to go. Other patients. I’ll check on you soon.”
     Robin was getting sleepy again, but she wanted to know. “The battle…what happened?”
     Susan started to answer, but Aunt Martha cut in. “You get some rest, dear. We’ll tell you all about it soon.”
     Robin was about to argue; she wanted to know. But she was very tired, so she closed her eyes. “Water?” she whispered.
     Susan touched the cool, wet cloth to Robin’s lips. She touched it with her tongue…then fell asleep.

     Robin woke up again and everything was dark. She panicked a bit, then turned her head to look around. That hurt, and there was a curtain that surrounded her bed. But she saw a window overhead and detected that it was nighttime, so all the lights were out in whatever room she was in. She was thirsty, very thirsty, and she tried to call out. “Is…is anybody there?” She started to cry.
     But a face peeked around the curtain. A kindly face, female, older, round. A nurse. “Are you awake, honey?” the nurse asked.
     Robin nodded her head, feeling better now that someone was there. “I’m…thirsty.”
     “Well, the doctor says you can have some water, so let me get you some.” The nurse wet a washcloth again and put it to Robin’s lips. She once again sucked on it greedily, then said, “More.”
     “Ok, a little more.” The nurse turned the washcloth around. Robin drank some more, not enough, but more than when she first awoke.
     “Are you hungry?” the nurse asked her.
     Robin thought about it. “Yes. A little.”
     “Oh, that’s a good sign,” the nurse said. “Perhaps the doctor will let you have something to eat in the morning.”
     Robin closed her eyes. She wanted something now. “Where is… everybody?” she asked.
     “Well, dear, it’s about 2 AM in the morning so everyone but your Aunt Martha went home. She’s sleeping on a little cot on the other side of your bed, but I won’t wake her up.” Robin tried to turn her head enough to see her aunt, but it hurt too much. “She hasn’t left here hardly at all the whole time,” the nurse said.
     “How long has it been?”
     “Well, let’s see. Today is Friday now…the battle was last Thursday…this will be the eighth day.”
     Oh, my, I’ve been asleep for eight days…”Am…I going to be ok?” She didn’t remember much that the doctor had said earlier.
     “Yes, you’re going to be just fine, but you’ll need a lot of rest.”
     Rest? Phooey on that. I’m ready to get up right now…Well, maybe tomorrow…”Ok,” she said, getting tired again. “I think I’ll sleep some more,” she whispered.
     “That’s a good idea. You need lots of sleep. My name is Ann, so if you wake up and need anything, you just call me. You hear?”
     No, she didn’t, because Robin was already asleep again.

     When Robin awoke again, she felt much refreshed. It was daylight and she saw several people around her bed. Aunt Martha—who appeared very tired herself—Susan Markum, Chris Draeger, Len Kramer, Julia Harris. Robin smiled and said, “Hi.”
     “How are you feeling, dear?” Always the first question.
     “I feel better, Aunt Martha. I’m still thirsty and I’m hungry, too. Do you think the doctor will let me have something to eat?” She could barely speak above a whisper.
    “Will fried chicken and mashed potatoes be ok?” That from Len Kramer, and Robin laughed, then winced, when she remembered that Len had said that was about all he ate.
     “Don’t make me laugh, Len. And I’ll take anything right now. 
     "You look better,” Allie said. “Well, I mean you look like you feel better.”
     Robin replied, “My back still hurts a lot, but I’m not as tired as I was yesterday.”
     The doctor heard the talking and came in. “Well, young lady, how are you feeling?” He took hold of her wrist and felt her pulse.
     “Better. Can I eat and drink?”
     “I think your Aunt Martha brought you some noodle soup. Why don’t you try that?” He nodded. “Pulse is normal.” He felt of her head. “No temperature.” He smiled at her. “You’re doing well. I’ll have the nurse get you some of that soup.”
     “I’ll go help,” Aunt Martha said and she left the cubicle.
     Robin looked around and smiled. “Thank you all for coming.”
     “We’ve been praying for you,” Susan said. “We are so happy you’re doing better. We were all so worried.”
     “Thank you,” Robin said again. “Can you tell me what happened?”
     Len spoke up. “Well, do you remember talking to the Indian?”
     Robin thought back. “Yes. I remember talking to Sonny. Asking him to go home. Then I felt something hit me…the bullet, I guess. I passed out.”
     Len nodded. “Yes. Burt Draeger shot you. He said he was trying to hit the Indian you were talking to.” Len shrugged. “It was a stupid thing for him to do. The Indian—Sonny did you call him?—well, he took his lance and killed Burt. We had you brought here. Doc Sharpe worked on you for several hours, got the bullet out of you, kept you as cool as possible because your fever was rising. You were pretty well delirious for about three or four days and Doc says it’s almost a miracle that you are still alive. But your Aunt Martha stayed with you the whole time, held your hand, talked to you, did whatever the doctor asked her. You’re going to pull through.”
     Robin made a mental note to thank the doctor and her aunt. “How…the battle?”
     Len replied, shaking his head. “Lots of people killed, Robin, but you single-handedly stopped it. There was no more killing after you were shot. We made a deal with the natives. We won’t dig in the mountain any more, but we’re going to cut the lumber. Kilmer Mining becomes Kilmer Lumber, at least in Whitewater.”
     “Your boss, Mr. Kilmer, will allow that?”
     “Well, he’s going to fight it but he’s going to lose. He fired me for making that deal, but we’ve already heard from the governor of the territory that he’s going to block any mining operations here and if necessary take it to the courts. I’ve talked to George—Kilmer—and told him that we can do just as well with lumber. The court fight would cost a bundle, so I think George is going to give in. He’s in town right now and a number of the board of directors are coming in tonight. We’re going to meet tomorrow.”
     “Well, I hope you get your job back.”
     “I think I will.”
     “How…many were killed?”
     “Well, the army lost 400 killed or wounded. The natives maybe twice that many. We lost a few in town, too.”
     Robin remembered seeing Sam Burke fall from the rooftop. “Sam Burke?”
     “Sam got hit in the shoulder with a bullet. He fell from the roof he was on and broke his arm. His company called him home. He’s ok, said he might be back.”
     Robin shut her eyes and grimaced. Sam…he looked so much like Rob…at least he’s ok. “Anybody else?” Robin whispered.
     Len named a few others that Robin knew. She shook her head sadly. “So unnecessary.”
     “Yes. Yes, it was. A lot of buildings were burned down, too, but mostly in Miner’s Corner and they are rebuilding them pretty fast.” He smiled. “Nobody is terribly concerned about it but the miners. Well, lumberjacks now.”
     Robin saw Chris Draeger. Chris hadn’t said a word yet. “I’m sorry about your father.”
     Chris replied, “I…I can’t…I don’t know what to say to you, Robin. He’s the one who shot you. I don’t know why. I’m sorry, too.” He looked distressed. It was understandable. He liked Robin a lot, but he lost his father.
     Robin smiled at him. “He was a good man. I’m sure he did what he thought was right.”
     “Thanks, Robin. We’ll never know why he did it.”
     She looked back at Len. “Sonny?"
     "He lived. The Indians picked up their dead and wounded and we haven’t seen them since. Incidentally, one of the things I’ve had done this week is an independent auditor looking at our books.” He gave a wry smile. “At your not-so-subtle suggestion. Thomas Bering has skipped town.”
     Robin made a face. “Well, that says a lot, I guess.”
     “Yes, it does. Would you like to have his accounting job?”
     Before Robin could answer the question, Aunt Martha and the day nurse came in with a tray. “We had to heat the soup, dear, but not too hot. Eat what you can.”
     “Thank you, Aunt Martha. I wonder if I can sit up some.” She tried to move, but gritted her teeth in pain.
     The day nurse, whose name was Karen, told her “You probably shouldn’t try to move your back. Not yet. The doctor will look at it later, probably change the dressing, but you don’t want to risk breaking open the wound.”
     Robin sighed. “How am I going to eat, then?”
     Karen smiled and held up a straw. Robin laughed, then groaned again. “I wish you people wouldn’t make me laugh…”
     Robin slowly got better over the days. In less than a week, she was able to get up and walk some. Len came in again and asked her if she’d like to take a full-time job as accountant now that Thomas Bering had disappeared.
     She frowned. “Well, I’ve got a job.”
     He named a figure, twice what the school was going to pay her. She sighed. “I told them I’d do it, Len. I hate to go back on it.”
     “Well, it’s your choice. The auditor has a few more days of work to do, so we don’t need anybody immediately. But think about it and let me know as soon as you can because I’ll need to find somebody if you don’t take it.”
     How can I turn it down at twice the salary?…
     Well, besides making a full recovery, that seemed to be her biggest concern at the moment. Maybe I can finally settle down into a normal existence…
     Maybe.

     “Ah, the marvels of youth,” Doc Sharpe said as he saw Robin sitting up in a chair. “They recover so quickly. You’re looking well, Miss Morrow. How are you feeling?”
     Robin smiled at him. “Much better, Doctor Sharpe. Thank you again for all you’ve done. You certainly saved my life and I appreciate it.”
     The doctor smiled modestly. “Well, that’s what I got into this profession for. I wish I had more successes and fewer failures. But you haven’t gotten my bill yet. You may drop dead yet when you see that.”
     Robin laughed. “I’m sure it will be reasonable. When can I go home?”
     She had been in the hospital now 10 days from when she first woke up, so almost three weeks total. Several days prior was when Len had asked her if she’d like to have the accounting job. She had had plenty of time to think about it, of course, and the only thing that held her back from taking it was that she had accepted a job at the school, had not even started yet, and now she was thinking of leaving it. She had talked about it at length to Aunt Martha who had told her, in no uncertain terms, that she should take the job with Kilmer.
     “He’s going to pay you twice the money. Is there any decision to be made?”
     “Well, I don’t want to leave the school in the lurch. They hired me, expecting me to teach come September.” Robin also suspicioned that Aunt Martha’s insistence on Kilmer might have something to do with her preference for Len Kramer as a nephew-in-law. Her aunt hadn’t pushed Robin at all regarding men, but it was obvious that Len was still number one in Aunt Martha’s book.
    “Well, it’s your decision, dear, but jobs like the one Len is offering you just don’t come along very often.”
     That was true. School teaching was school teaching and pretty much a dead end job. Kilmer offered possibilities for advancement. It really was a no brainer, but Robin felt a little guilty about it anyway. But she had pretty well decided that, when Aunt Martha showed up that day, she was going to ask her if she could go see Maxine Hennings and have her come visit so that Robin could tell her she was taking the job at Kilmer’s. Maxine was the one who had hired Robin and would have been her immediate supervisor. Yet something else had come up—a thought in Robin’s mind that was beginning to germinate. More on that in just a bit.
    But to return to the hospital room, such as it was. Doc Sharpe, in answer to Robin’s question about when she could go home, said, “Maybe in a couple of days. You are doing remarkably well, but I still have a little concern about infection—it was a deep wound—so I’d really like to have you close by a little longer, just to be on the safe side. We’ll talk about it in a day or so.”
     Robin was still weak and her back remained terribly sore, but it was getting better. She was walking some now and had no trouble doing so, as long as she didn’t move too rapidly, but she did get tired easily. Eating and drinking were no problem, either, and Aunt Martha was stuffing everything she could down Robin’s throat. The worst pain she had was getting in and out of bed. It stretched her back muscles a bit and they were still tender. So Doc Sharpe made sure she was very careful on those occasions.
     It was mid-July and Robin felt that the summer was slipping away from her. It had been a beautiful summer, weather-wise, and she wanted to get out and do some things. The church was having a lot of socials, her friends were getting together a lot, the monthly town dance had started up again after being cancelled in June, and there were other things she wanted to get into. There was a Young Women’s Christian Association she had joined and they were having lots of outings. She wanted to join the local theatrical group. There was a new game the men were playing called “baseball,” and some of the girls thought it looked fun and wanted to get a team up themselves. They had asked Robin to join. It would probably be awhile before she’d be able to do much running, but Doc Sharpe said that swimming would be a very good exercise to strengthen her back and other muscles that had been weakened during her recuperative period. Robin recalled a lovely waterfall and pond that Cameron Collins had taken her to, and she was dying to go back—with male or female or even alone. So she was getting antsy to get up and get on with her life.
     She had received so many flowers from the people of Whitewater that there simply wasn’t room for all of them in her cubicle, or in the rest of the hospital area. Aunt Martha had to take them home, but Robin kept the cards and, indeed, had been writing thank you notes that morning when Doc Sharpe found her sitting up in a chair. Robin would have also had a ton of visitors, but the doctor was adamant that she could have only one per day. He had been appalled when he had seen so many people in her cubicle that first day she had really been awake. He did let Robin’s minister in any time he wished, but only for 10 minutes. A brief word of encouragement and a prayer.
     “How in the world do you expect to get any rest if there are people in here all the time? And rest is the one thing you need more than anything.” He spoke to Aunt Martha. “Martha, you keep them out of here, ok? One visitor per day until I say so.”
    “That’s what I think, too, Doctor Sharpe. I’ll keep them away.”
     The policy frustrated Robin, but at least for the first few days, she realized it wasn’t a bad idea. By the time her one visitor had been there for about half an hour, she was pretty weary and ready to go to sleep. Of course, Aunt Martha was there most of the time, so she wasn’t all alone, but nonetheless, for the first three or four days, Robin slept over half the day.
     Cameron Collins came by once, which Robin thought was nice; it wasn’t quite so easy for him, of course, since he worked out at the XQL and didn’t get into town every day. But he brought her a big bouquet of flowers and a box of candy. Aunt Martha ended up eating most of the candy.
     “Would you like for me to go by and give Roberta a little exercise? I’m sure she probably needs it.”
     “Oh, Cameron, would you? I’d really appreciate that.”
     He smiled. “Be glad to. Only thing is, I might run off with her and never come back. Best horse in this valley.”
     “You better bring her back,” Robin said with a smile.
     “I’ll go take her out when I leave here and then have one of my boys come in every two or three days and give her a good run.”
     “That would be wonderful, Cameron, thank you.” She and he had a nice, comfortable relationship, though nothing especially deep. Still, if he wanted to see her some more, she was willing.
     Sam Burke never came by and she didn’t hear from him. She didn’t begrudge him that, he may have no idea she was in the hospital and was probably recuperating himself. Sonny, of course, didn’t visit; Robin wished he would, but knew he wouldn’t—couldn’t. And then there was….
     Rob…
     With all that had been going on, she hadn’t had a whole lot of time to think about him, so her feelings for him were beginning to lessen. She was glad because she’d never see him again anyway and she didn’t want his ghost hanging around for the rest of her life. But, especially at night before she went to sleep, he came back to her, and sometimes very strongly. He was just…different…and then she’d berate herself for a fool and for letting him deceive her so badly. I knew the guy 24 hours and obviously I didn’t know him at all because he lied to me and murdered somebody…Robin wanted to believe all the bad she thought she knew about Rob, but it didn’t come easy. Liar…murderer… outlaw…that just…wasn’t him…Her heart simply wouldn’t let her accept what her mind told her was the truth. He snapped, that’s all there was to it…But fortunately, she’d fall asleep and the next day would be busy with recuperating, so he’d slip farther and farther away from her thoughts.
     But not entirely. It’s only been a few weeks…but wow, what a few weeks…
     The most important visitor she had, for the immediate future at least, was her friend Betty Parker. She had known Betty—whose maiden name was Trasker—all her life and she had always been one of Robin’s best friends. So Aunt Martha let Betty in to see her. And as they talked, that’s when a new idea started forming in Robin’s mind.
     Betty’s story was a tragic one. She had married Henry Parker, a really nice fellow, and they made a good match. They had two children and Henry had had a very good job at a construction company until about a year ago he had fallen from a rooftop and broken his back. Well, he couldn’t work any more, at least not in construction and he was still recuperating, so the Parkers were in a bit of a strait. Both of their parents lived in town, and they helped as much as they could, as did friends, and Betty made what money she could on the side, but it wasn’t much. They really had trouble, especially with two children who had to be provided for.
     “Hopefully, Henry will be able to get back to work soon, but he’ll never be in construction again. He’ll probably have to take a desk job or something like that. I wish I could find something, but there’s just not much I can do.”
     Robin’s mind was churning. “How is Henry with numbers?”
     “Oh, he was great in school at math. Don’t you remember?”
     Yes, Robin did. In fact, Henry had been just about the smartest kid in school and Robin had been a little shocked that he had ended up in construction and not in some more intellectual pursuit. Betty was pretty intelligent herself and that’s one reason they had made such a good match.
     Robin thought about it for a day or so, then asked Aunt Martha if she’d go get Betty. “I want to talk to her again.”
     When Betty arrived, Robin smiled at her and said, “I’ve got jobs for both you and Henry.”
     Betty looked nonplussed. “You do?”
     “Uh huh. Len Kramer at Kilmer Lumber is looking for an accountant. Henry could do that job perfectly and it pays real well. And,” here Robin smiled real big, “how would you like to teach school?”
     Betty blanched. “But…but…but…” Robin laughed. “What are you going to do?”
     “Oh, I’ve got an idea of my own…” Quite frankly, Robin never especially liked the idea of teaching. She’d never done it before and it wasn’t an occupation that thrilled her. She only took the job because she had to have one to return to Whitewater. And being an accountant? Yuck. She would have done that because the money was so good, but that would be boooooring and tedious and she didn’t especially want to sit in an office all day long and crunch numbers.
     No, what she had in mind was a bit more daring—but more challenging and rewarding. She told Betty, “I’m going to open a women’s shop...”

     It was a bold idea, but she thought she could make it work. Whitewater had stores, of course, where women could buy various goods they wanted, but not a shop where they could get everything—clothes, bags, lingerie, perfume, underwear, jewelry, even bedding, kitchenware, and related goods. All those items could be found somewhere in town, but if she had them in one location…
     It would doubtless cost a good chunk of money to get the project under way. She knew the building she could use—there was a vacant one on Main Street right between the grocery store and bookstore, a perfect location for a women’s shop. She’d need to borrow the money from the bank, but the word was out that the railroad was coming through soon, about five miles south of town, so she could get the items she needed that way. Robin liked the idea of going into business for herself; she was sure she could do it.
     Betty thought it was a great idea. “Let me talk to Henry. He has trouble sitting for great lengths of time, but he could do a job like that. And I’d love to try teaching. The store sounds like a fantastic idea…”
     Robin knew that Aunt Martha would be the hard sell. “I don’t know, dear, is that really what you want to do?”
     “I think I’d like it better than teaching or accounting, Aunt Martha. It would give me a feeling of accomplishment, something to build upon, and I couldn’t really do that working as a teacher or an accountant. I think I’d just kind of stagnate; there would be no real challenge.”
     “Where will you get the money?”
     “Well, I was going to borrow it from the bank. That’s what banks are for, isn’t it?”
     “But what will you use for collateral, dear?”
     Robin hadn’t thought of that. “You don’t think Mr. Wilcox would loan me the money?” Eric Wilcox was the president of the local bank.
     “It might depend on how much you wanted.”
     Robin was a little despondent. She had no real idea how much she would need. “Well, I’ll talk to him and see what he thinks.”
     “Don’t give up your other job until you do.”
     So that was on the drawing board and Robin intended to look into it as soon as she left the hospital, which happened the following Monday, a few days after the beginning of this section. “You are doing fine, Robin,” Doc Sharpe told her. “Just be careful and don’t do anything strenuous. No lifting or running or dancing or anything like that, but get some exercise, like walking, to build up your strength. Just don’t overdo it. Come back in a week and let me check you again.”
     “Can I go riding?”
     Doc Sharpe frowned. “Hold off on that, too. You’re still healing inside and I don’t want anything that jars you too much. A wagon should be ok, but not a horse. Not yet.”
     Robin was a little disappointed at that, she wanted to get back on Roberta, but she’d do what the doctor said. Aunt Martha took her home and Robin saw tears in her aunt’s eyes. “I’m so glad you’re coming home,” Aunt Martha told her. “I worry about you so.”
     And once again, Robin was amazed at her aunt, although increasingly less so. This just isn’t the Aunt Martha I remember. But she also reminded herself that she wasn’t necessarily the same Robin, either.
     She was the toast of the town. People had been itching to see her. Rightly or wrongly—and mostly rightly—she was given credit for stopping the horrendous battle and probably saving Whitewater. Jonathan Stover, the newspaper editor, had been dying to talk to her, but Aunt Martha wouldn’t let him anywhere near her niece. But he came by the house the afternoon Robin arrived home.
     Aunt Martha was going to run him off again, but Robin said she’d see him. “I simply must interview you, Miss Morrow. Everyone in town wants to know your story.”
     Robin wasn’t sure what “story” everyone wanted, but she patiently answered all his questions. He stayed for two hours and would have stayed longer, but Aunt Martha had had enough. “You’ve got enough material there for 10 stories, Mr. Stover. Shoo. My niece needs rest.” So Stover reluctantly left, but with a promise that it would be front page copy probably for the rest of the week.
     Some of Aunt Martha’s friends brought food by, which was unnecessary, but they wanted to do something, so it was graciously accepted. By nightfall, Robin was worn out and wanted to go to bed. “But I want to go talk to Eric Wilcox tomorrow, Aunt Martha. I’m serious about this store business, at least looking into it.”
     “All right, dear, I won’t discourage you or stop you, but please think it through carefully before you commit to anything. You have a stable job as teacher and another good offer from Len Kramer. Those are both sure things. What you’re planning is a risk.”
     “I know, but I at least want to talk to Mr. Wilcox.”
     So the next day she did. Robin didn’t know Eric Wilcox personally, but he had known her Uncle Ben very well and also Aunt Martha.
     “Quite a loss when your Uncle Ben died,” he said. “He was as fine a man as I’ve ever known and a pillar of the community. Your Aunt Martha, too.” He added the last rather hastily.
     “Thank you, Mr. Wilcox.” Then she outlined her plan to him, and he listened closely. From his facial expression, she wasn’t quite sure how he was accepting her idea. He was a fairly handsome man, mid-50s probably, still a full head of dark, but graying hair, strong eyebrows and chin, with blue eyes and a ruddy complexion. He was rather tall and slender—not exactly the prototypical fat banker. His blue eyes showed intelligence.
     “Where would you want to locate your store?” he asked her after she gave him the overview.
     “You know that vacant building next to the grocery store? It might need a little work, but I think it’s big enough. Do you know…who owns it? How much it would cost to buy it?”
     He nodded. “I own it. And it’s in a good location, one of the best in town. And with the railroad coming through soon, property prices are going to shoot up.” That was discouraging, at least from Robin’s standpoint of buying the place. She could understand Wilcox wanting to hold onto it until property values rose. “But I do think your idea is a good one. Do you have any experience in business?”
     “Well, not really, but I’m sure I could do it.” Then, she remembered to tell him, “In New York, I worked as the executive secretary for the Vice President of a bank.” She made a face. “I guess that’s not much, but I at least got some insights into finance and such.”
     Wilcox smiled. “Maybe I ought to hire you.”
     Robin smiled, but didn’t say anything. I don’t want to work at a bank again…
     Wilcox continued, so he must have been joshing about the job. “How much money do you want to borrow and what are you going to use for collateral?”
     “How much money do you think I would need, and, well, frankly, I’m not sure what I’d use for collateral. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”
     He stared at her thoughtfully for a few moments, then looked away with a “hmmm,” still thinking. He drummed his fingers on his desk. Robin was sitting on pins and needles.
     “Do you have any money at all?” he asked her.
     Robin looked dubious. “I’ve got about $1,000 in a savings account in the New York bank.”
     He nodded. “Miss Morrow, to be quite honest with you, normally I wouldn’t do this, not unless you had some collateral for the loan. Your Aunt Martha’s house could be used, but I wouldn’t take that for collateral, because—among other reasons—if you went bust, I’d have to foreclose on her and kick her out and I’m not about to do that, so I couldn’t loan you the money on that basis.” Robin was hopeful, but not sure. “However, you come from good stock—your Uncle Ben and Aunt Martha are as honest as the day is long, at least he was until he died, and I’m sure your Aunt still is. So I’m confident that you are, too, and that you’ll work hard and pay your debts. I tell you what I will do. When the railroad is finished in about six months, this town will probably boom. There are thousands of acres of good ranch land all around Whitewater and I have little doubt the town is going to grow significantly over the next few years. That property you want is going to be worth something. Absolutely prime location. By the end of the year, there’s going to be a real estate bubble, and I’ll easily be able to get $15,000 for it. So here is what I’m going to do for you. I will loan you $15,000 at 3% interest and you can use the building for collateral. If your business proves profitable—and if you have any business acumen at all, it should—then we can refinance your loan at some point in the future.” 3% interest was pretty high, but Wilcox was taking a risk. He continued. “You can use the money however you wish—fix up the building, stock your store, hire whoever you need. When you run out of the $15,000, you are on your own. Once you pay the entire note off, the building is yours, free and clear.” And he smiled. “And you can keep your $1,000, though I’m going to put a provision in the loan note, that if you default on this loan, the $1,000 will go towards payment on what you owe.”
     This was a tremendous deal—for both of them. Wilcox could sell the building—he thought—for $15,000, but that wasn’t a sure thing. And he probably wouldn’t be able to charge 3% interest on it. But by loaning Robin $15,000 at a high rate of interest, he covered himself nicely. If she failed in the business, he’d have the building back plus whatever she had been able to pay him. He could then sell the building again—for $15,000 if he could get that much—and he’d be sitting pretty. It was really no risk to him at all, except for what money he’d have to give Robin up front to get the building in shape for business. And Robin would have $15,000—a very good amount to start her store. It probably wouldn’t take near that much, but she’d have it just in case.
     She was thrilled and told Wilcox so. “Thank you so much. This is just perfect.” Then she hesitated. “Um…when will I need to start paying you back? I’m obviously not going to have a lot of cash flow immediately.”
     “Don’t worry about that at the moment. I won’t demand any payment for awhile. You go ahead and get started and we’ll talk later. Oh, incidentally, check with Billie Jean, my secretary. She has some wholesale catalogues that you can use to order the things you want.” He smiled. “The Whitewater Bank has helped other businesses in town get started so we keep things like that handy. You should be able to find what you need. I’ll start the paperwork and you can sign that soon.”
     They shook hands. Robin left the bank on cloud nine. She was so anxious to get started that she went to the building—her new property—that afternoon to look it over and see what might need to be done. It was a nice sized building, easily big enough to hold all the items she wanted to display and sell. I’ll go to the construction company…have one of the architects come over…I’ll need to paint the walls…I can do that myself…an office in the back…let’s see, I’ll put the clothes over here, household goods here, appliances over there…She was already having a ball.
     Robin Morrow was going into the retail business.