for, Maggie. I'm ready for a good fight."
She sighed. "I'm sure we'll get one after this week's paper
comes out."
He chuckled. "Yep, that's what this business is all about."
"You know, with your love of controversy, you should've
run a big-city newspaper, Clyde."
Looking for YouAllMy Life179
He considered this, then he shook his head. "Nope, then
I would've missed out on a whole lot of good fishing and
hunting. The way I see it, I got me the very best of both
worlds."
Back in her office, Maggie called Gavin and told him to
report for work. They agreed that office space might be
unnecessary to start with as selling ads could be done by
phone or by visiting the businesses. For now he would use
the mobile phone and keep track of his mileage, and perhaps
if things went well, they'd eventually set up an office for him.
Besides, Maggie figured this arrangement would keep Gavin
out of Clyde's hair for the time being. Gavin told her that
he'd already called a car dealership in Byron that was inter-
ested in helping him to trade down in vehicles. He hoped to
get a fair amount of cash for his big sports utility vehicle and
still afford a small economy car. "I'm willing to do whatever
it takes to make it here," he assured her. "I want you to
know I'll begin looking for a place to rent in town as soon
as possible."
"It sounds as though you're off to a good start. Come in
sometime this afternoon, and Abigail will get you set up with
everything you'll need."
Just as Maggie was winding down for the day, Jed
stopped by her office. She tried to conceal her pleasure as she
closed the door behind him. Inviting him to sit, she admired
his squared shoulders and straight posture. He wore a soft
suede vest, and she tried to remember if it was the same one
he'd had on the first time she'd seen him last spring. She
studied his even features as she sat back down behind her
desk. Perhaps after her last email message he had decided to
end their little "break." Then she noticed that his expression
seemed different today. Something seemed to be troubling
him. Whatever it was, she felt ready to face it. She smiled
hopefully and leaned across her desk in anticipation.
180Melody Carlson
"How are you doing?" she asked finally.
"I'm okay, I guess." He pressed his lips together as if con-
sidering how to begin his next sentence. "How are you
doing?" The way he spoke the words seemed to imply he
was inquiring about more than just her health and well-
being, but she wasn't sure how best to answer.
"Oh, I don't know..." She looked to him for some sort
of clue. "Did you get my email last night?" She smiled again.
He shook his head. "No, I haven't even turned on my