folks, they came out when land was dirt cheap and they
bought up all they could afford. Not a bad investment
either."
"Anyway," continued Gavin in a businesslike manner. "I
thought, why wouldn't this be a good location for a nice,
well-developed community?"
"You mean to compete with Pine Mountain Estates?"
said Maggie with the full realization of what this could mean
slowly dawning on her. She looked to Clyde. "Is it even p05-
sible? Are you really interested in doing something like this
with that property?"
He shrugged. "I'm not going to be around forever,
Maggie. And while I'm still here, I'd like to do whatever I
can to preserve our quality of life in Pine Mountain. I think
a carefully planned development could be a real boon to our
area. But not like the kind of cheap setup those development
boys are proposing to do. They don't give a hoot over what
happens to this town. And I wouldn't be surprised if they
both don't just clear out of here as soon as they get their
money in their pockets and that Byers fellow takes over."
Maggie nodded thoughtfully. "That same thought had
occurred to me too."
''But there is one small concern,'' said Gavin. ''And it
involves you..."
She knew what he was hinting at. "You mean, would I
mind having a few neighbors?"
"Gavin suggested this development could be designed in
such a way as to keep your property somewhat protected
and separate from the developed community. But there'd be 216Melody Carlson
no getting around things like increased traffic and that sort
of thing. How do you feel about that, Maggie?"
She considered this as the waitress began setting their
entrees before them. She'd certainly enjoyed her privacy out
there, but sometimes it did feel slightly isolated. "You know,
I've always lived in areas where I've had lots of neighbors,
and sometimes I sort of miss that." She pressed her lips
together. "I think if the development was done right, and the
homes and everything were of high quality and not built too
closely together, I'd probably like it."
Gavin sighed in relief. "I already told Uncle Clyde that
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get this ball rolling. But
just so you'll know, I have no interest in profiting from this
venture in any way."
"I didn't believe him at first," admitted Clyde, "but then
I thought to myself, since everything's still in my name, and
Gavin's not even in my will anymore, well, he's got nothing
to gain anyway."
"Except maybe a little self-respect," said Gavin quietly.
"And that's worth a whole lot more than money." Clyde
turned to Maggie. "I made it real clear that I'll pay Gavin a