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HENSLEY GULPED WHEN Blake introduced his driver as Wickham.

He opened a rear limo door for them and stood aside, waiting as they approached.

She nodded and smiled in the driver’s direction, her brow arching.

She slid into the seat and scooted over to make room for Blake.

Hmm. A friend named Bing, and a driver named Wickham!

This was all so odd, considering her favorite author was Jane Austen.

Glancing around at the luxurious interior of the limo, she nearly had to pinch herself as Blake slid onto the seat. Why did it seem as if she’d fallen into one of Jane’s books?

And how had any of this even happened? Oh yes, because she’d opened her mouth and stuck her foot into it, agreeing to confine herself to working with him on the fundraiser. It was good work, after all. It was the Lord’s work.

And something about this man’s aloofness brought out the competitive spirit and drive that compelled her to keep serving, to keep doing.

To not be left behind while others did everything for Jesus and she sat on the sidelines.

To not come before the King of Kings one day, empty-handed.

No, she should be using her gifts and talents to serve in as many ways as she could.

And so here she was, with a man who thought of her as somehow lacking.

She’d been rushing around to get ready since arriving home after work.

She’d even left a bit early to avoid the rush hour.

Not that Dogwood Creek had much traffic, but they did have some.

She’d left the boutique at four o’clock, leaving June Milton in charge.

But since then, she’d had three calls from June about this, that, and the other.

With her tummy grumbling and it being the end of a long week, she was glad to be heading for dinner, except her nerves were on edge about it being dinner with Blake Sterling, Mr. Grumpy Unfriendly Judgmental Cowboy.

Sure, he’d opened up a little at Sam’s dinner the night before, but she still didn’t know why he had deemed her as not his type.

Now that June’s questions had been handled, she could finally relax. June worked most Friday and Saturday evenings to cover the shop. Maybe she could get through the evening without having to take calls or texts. She would turn off her cell and direct June to contact Jen if she had any questions.

June had been a Godsend to her boutique.

With all of her sisters between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight, she’d found they required most weekends off—unless they took on a contract to help with a wedding.

They all had busy social calendars, after all.

Hensley’s Wedding Creations offered a variety of wedding planning and coordinating services to their brides who purchased gowns from the boutique.

Maybe Blake would ask her about it at dinner and she could tell him more about their family business.

She and Blake didn’t speak much on the awkward limo ride other than to mention the nice weather.

It was just as well, giving her time to unwind.

She’d had a frantic bride call that afternoon, desperate for a last-minute alteration for an out-of-town bridesmaid.

She had calmed the bride and set an appointment for first thing Saturday at nine.

This had made the bride thankful and happy.

Then a mother of the bride visited the shop, panicked after shopping at three other wedding boutiques in Nashville, unable to find the right dress to match her daughter’s robin’s egg blue color scheme.

Not an easy color to coordinate. They’d settled on something in pale pink with silver accent threads.

She’d led the mother to her best option first. The mother had left the shop extremely satisfied, but not until they’d tried five other options, taking up much of Hensley’s remaining time.

Of course, the bride’s mother had eventually agreed the first option was best.

After resolving those two dilemmas, a bride came inside the boutique carrying an heirloom veil that had been damaged.

It wasn’t one of Hensley’s creations, but apparently, one of her bridesmaids had attempted to iron the fragile antique piece.

In the process, she’d ruined it. Hensley showed the bride how she could repair it if desired but also spent much of her last hour on duty helping the bride try on suitable replacement options.

The bride opted for both the repair and a new veil.

She would wear one to the ceremony and the other to the reception. Problem solved.

The day’s work had been cut out for her.

She’d completed an alteration, a veil repair, and her other work.

Nonetheless, she enjoyed her career. Designing creations that made brides happy for their special wedding day gave her great joy.

She also thrived on the joy of making their wedding days run smoothly and seeing their smiles on those occasions.

What could be better than that? Nothing else gave her such satisfaction.

But why did Blake tap his fingers softly on the door handle and why did he keep glancing in her direction? Finally, he asked, “Would you rather dine at The Creek Grill?”

She tilted her head to one side, considering their choices.

“After the week I’ve had, I admit to being indecisive.

I’m fine with either one. My favorite meal at the grill is the seared scallops dish with baby spinach and pomegranate sauce.

It comes with roasted honey-glazed carrots and the best baked macaroni and four-cheese side you’ve ever tasted.

If we go to the diner, I’ll order one of their incredible burgers with the works.

And I’ll devour the entire thing. So, it’s up to you. ”

“It sounds like you need to dine properly then.” He lowered the window between them and Wickham, instructing him to head for The Creek Grill instead of the diner .

Hensley turned toward the passenger window and smiled weakly.

It was a good choice, and she didn’t disagree.

A few minutes later, they were settled at a table away from everyone else.

She ordered a peach-flavored sweet tea, and their waiter brought them an appetizer of stuffed mushroom caps that Blake ordered at her suggestion.

After tasting two of those, the tension began to drain from her while they waited for the main course.

Blake sat back in his seat, remaining quiet as he studied her with curiosity behind his intelligent brown eyes. She was thankful for the soft music playing in the background though. It was the perfect distraction from having to make small talk.

When the waiter brought their meal out, she thoroughly enjoyed every bite, doing her best not to care why Blake had said she wasn’t his type.

If she contemplated it too much, she figured they wouldn’t be able to work together to complete the task of helping the youth raise the funds for their mission trip.

When their meals arrived, she appreciated the fact that he offered the blessing without having to be reminded.

Arranging the linen napkin on her lap, she guessed she ought to ask him something to get to know him a little better and begin some sort of amiable conversation. “Tell me about your family, Blake.”

“Well, I have an older brother, Brandon. He lives in the small but pleasant town of Rockport, Ohio. It’s north of Cincinnati. He’s now at the helm of Sterling Enterprises since our father’s stroke. He’s been recovering, but progress has been slow.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about that. Is he going to be all right?” Hensley glanced at him.

“I personally don’t think my father will ever be the same again, but he did recently come to the Lord through all of this.

He’s now confined to a wheelchair and requires nearly round-the-clock medical care.

He’s out of the nursing home, but he has several nurses, and there’s a cook and a cleaning lady who attend to his needs. ”

She tasted another bite of the delicious scallops, nodding. “I’m glad he’s getting the care he needs.”

“Yes, I am glad for that too.” He sipped his tea. “Consequently, we had to move the headquarters to Rockport when the stroke first happened. Dad was well enough to attend my brother’s wedding last year to a lovely woman named Stephanie with some help from a nurse.”

“I see. And tell me about your sister-in-law.” Her brow arched as she tilted her head to one side. Maybe some of Blake’s serious nature had to do with his concerns for his father’s health.

He sliced into one of his scallops. “Stephanie owns a bookstore in Rockport that has been in her family for generations. I think she and Brandon had a lot in common since he was the Vice President of our bookstore division. He used to oversee our Books & Burgers locations, but now he has stepped into my father’s former role, overseeing all three of our divisions. ”

She didn’t know much about Sterling Enterprises, prompting her next question. “What are the other two divisions?”

“Weymouth Furnishings is the division I’ve been assigned, though I’ve stepped into more of a consulting role.

We’ve promoted someone from within to handle most of my workload, but I conduct a monthly review and an online meeting with the managerial staff.

That has freed me up to handle my own interests with Deerpark Cabins,” he explained.

“As I mentioned before, I wanted out of the corporate world as much as possible. This was a way to compromise so I could still be part of the family business but with less hands-on responsibilities. It’s also how I was able to spend time in Wyoming. ”

“And your brother is happy with this arrangement?”