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Sam nodded as she stabbed another bite of her steak. “Hensley moved here from Spruce Hill, Kentucky with her family when she was about ten. Her family took care of horses, and her dad was a senior pastor at a church in Spruce Hill. We’ve known each other since then, haven’t we, Hensley?”

Hensley nodded, tasting a mushroom that had been sautéed to perfection in a butter sauce. “Yes, we certainly have. I’ll never forget the first time I was allowed to have my hair trimmed at a salon. I wanted five inches taken off. I was what, thirteen?”

Sam chuckled, nodding. “I was new as a stylist. I’ll never forget that time either. Your eyes were big as saucers to see the hair falling to the floor. But when we were done, you loved your new hairstyle. You were one of my first customers back then.”

Hensley smiled at the memory. “I barely went through with it. It’s one thing to say you want to have that many inches cut off your hair, but it’s another thing to see it through.”

“I was so happy for you when you inherited your grandmother’s wedding boutique.

I’m sure she’s enjoying her retirement, and especially knowing her shop is in capable hands.

” Samantha shifted in her seat. “And the fact that it’s right beside The Mane Event is just a huge bonus.

I couldn’t ask for nicer neighbors.” Sam turned toward Blake.

“Hensley has four sisters. All of them are so talented. They’re all involved in one way or another with Hensley’s Wedding Creations. ”

“Yes, I guess you could say I know all about running a family business, but we’re much smaller.

No vice presidents,” Hensley explained. “And thank you, Sam, for saying that about us being neighbors. Granny sure is good to us, and me, in particular.” Hensley tilted her head as she sipped some of her sweet tea.

If it wasn’t for her grandmother, she wouldn’t have Hensley’s Wedding Creations, and her sisters probably wouldn’t have their amazing careers either.

“You are definitely her favorite, but probably because you can sew and make such amazing designs, just like her.” Sam nodded toward a wedding portrait of her on the wall. “My wedding dress was one of Hensley’s creations. I’m saving it in case I have a daughter who will want to wear it someday.”

THAT was surprising news. Maybe Hensley wasn’t a gold digger after all.

Not if she had her own inheritance. On the other hand, Blake could not consider dating someone who had to deal with the headaches of running a business.

What if they ended up engaged, and ultimately, married?

How would she raise their future children if she had to worry about all that went into managing a business?

No, he had to choose wisely. It did seem like the right time in his life to consider marriage, now that he’d built a proper home and settled into his own career, escaping the clutches of his father’s company.

He still helped with Sterling Enterprises, Inc.

, but not as much now that he had his own business venture.

But he hadn’t met anyone lately who’d caught his eye, except maybe the pretty lady seated across from him.

Would Hensley give up her inheritance once she married in order to become a wife and mother? Somehow, he doubted it. She seemed married to her job, like Elise. And he knew where that had led. No, he had to find someone who wasn’t married to a career.

Maybe he should steer the conversation toward asking questions about the youth group from the Dogwood Creek Community Church. Would they enjoy and benefit from a stay at some of his cabins?

As if Samantha had read his mind about a change in the subject matter of their discussion, she leaned forward.

“I could really use your help on another matter, Blake and Hensley. You see, the youth group at our church are trying to raise enough money to fund their mission trip to the Dominican Republic for later this coming summer. It’s only a few months away.

And they don’t have enough funds to go on their mission.

I thought maybe you two could figure out some sort of fundraiser to help them and basically manage it from start to finish.

With Hensley’s wedding planning skills, and Blake, your heart for working with the youth and your new lodge at Deerpark Cabins—which could be a perfect venue for the event—would you consider taking charge of this project? ”

Blake didn’t have to think twice about another chance to work with teenagers. He’d be stuck with Hensley—who still refused to look at him or speak to him. She must be hopping mad, but maybe she’d get over it, eventually. “Count me in.”

HENSLEY STRAIGHTENED , her mouth dropping open.

She’d helped the youth group with events many times in the past. She couldn’t let Blake best her.

She’d be stuck working with Mr. Snobby Cowboy, but it didn’t mean they had to be friends or anything more than co-youth leader project assistants for a fleeting youth mission trip.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those teens.

“Count me in.” Had she really just blurted that out?

Horrors! Now she was committed .

After helping Sam with the dishes, why did she find herself exchanging cell phone numbers with Blake so they could get together soon and plan the event—when she should be running away from him like the plague?

Yikes! What had come over her? How would this ever work out? Why had she agreed to take on such a large project with that uppity cowboy who didn’t consider her “his type?”

By the end of the evening, she was more curious than ever. What exactly was his type? And more than that, what was so wrong with her anyhow?

There must be something wrong with her since her first real boyfriend after high school, Michael, had joined the Marines and never returned to her side.

Her second long-term boyfriend, a graduate from law school, had dated her for three years and moved away to pursue his promising career in another state.

Jake could have asked her to marry him. She would have followed him to the ends of the earth.

So, what did the Manhattan cowboy find so wrong about her?