Page 9

We all know him to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man;

but this would be nothing if you really liked him.

—Jane Austen

CHARLES “BING” EATON returned from the kitchen and handed Blake a bottle of grape soda.

He slid a box of gourmet pizza onto the rustic coffee table and sank into a leather chair beside the matching sofa where Blake sat.

A fire crackled in the stone fireplace of Bing’s newly completed A-frame cabin and the pizza had just been delivered.

Blake held out his glass soda bottle to toast it against Bing’s. “Cheers on the completion of your cabin.”

“Cheers!” Bing smiled and their bottles clanked.

“You must be relieved to have everything finished except for the grounds.” Blake gazed out of the floor to ceiling windows at the trees in the distance, their view diminished only by the presence of a backhoe, an excavator, and other equipment scattered about the lawn.

His friend nodded, scooping up two slices of pizza onto a plate. “Yes, but the landscape supervisor assured me today that they’ll be finished in less than two weeks with the exterior.”

“That’s great news. We’ll need the crew back at Deerpark Cabins soon since construction has begun on the remaining three cabins.

” Blake scooped up two slices onto a contemporary styled square plate.

His own cabin was complete too, but he didn’t have fancy pizza dishes like these.

“Who picked out your dishes? These are nicer than the paper plates I thought you were still using.”

Bing rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve grown tired of paper plates.

Might hire a cook too, one of these days.

My sister, Caroline, sent these as a housewarming gift.

I’m happy to say my days of roughing it in Tennessee are finally over.

I didn’t want to bring much from my condo in Manhattan, so I guess I have some shopping to do. ”

“A cook is a great idea if you don’t plan on getting married anytime soon.

Is your sister still planning to visit now that winter is over?

Maybe she can help you with some of the finishing touches on the place.

” Blake arched his brow, recalling that Bing’s sister had recently texted about attending a society event in Manhattan with Bing in tow as well.

He hadn’t replied yet because he’d likely have to tell her he wasn’t planning on being in New York anytime soon.

Not when they were so close to finishing all of the construction at Deerpark.

Bing shook his head at the suggestion of marriage. “No, no wedding plans here yet, but Caroline did say she’s hoping to get away before summer to decorate the new place a bit for me. Knowing my sister, I’ll receive a text with an itinerary planned down to the last minute for her entire visit.”

Bing, who’d earned his nickname back in their middle school years due to his extraordinary arcade gaming abilities, released another chuckle along with Blake’s.

They both knew how organized and detailed Caroline could be.

It gave Blake a headache to imagine it. Caroline Eaton was a force to be reckoned with at times.

“She’ll like the pictures of the geese, and your stuffed deer hanging over the mantle, and the mallard ducks.

Those are all great choices for a log cabin.

Wildlife décor is working well at the lodge and at my cabin.

” His log cabin was much larger. Not an A-frame, but a sprawling two-story with a long front porch.

It was nestled between two mountains flanking the rear of his Deerpark property.

It featured dormer windows, ponderosa green shutters, and a three-tiered deck overlooking stunning views, including a view of part of the creek that wound through the small town.

Blake’s gaze now settled on the ugliest item in the spacious room.

“Not too sure about that stuffed porcupine though.”

Bing laughed. “I’ve only put it there to see how long it takes my sister to get rid of it. Chuck, from the crew, gave it to me as a joke.”

Blake grinned. “I’ll say she’ll have it gone within the first twenty-four hours of her arrival. It will vanish, and then she’ll feign complete innocence as if she’s never seen it before in her life.”

“My guess is it’ll take her five minutes from entering this room to spot it.

Another ten minutes will pass before she remarks about it.

Twelve hours to dispose of it entirely. And then we’ll never see my old friend Porky Pine again.

” They laughed and Bing took another huge bite of the bacon, spinach, and artichoke pizza.

When they stopped laughing, his friend’s voice took on a curious tone.

“Wickham tells me you’ve been on some outings with a certain Miss Hensley Fitzwilliam. ”

“That rascal!” Blake shook his head, but he knew it was of no use to keep Wickham and Bing from commiserating upon his dating life—or rather, the lack thereof.

They were forever up to no good, but they’d known each other too long to suppose he could have any success at stopping them.

They’d even set him up on a blind date once with a girl named Lola.

He would never live down Lola since she’d disappeared after an hour of the date, never to be seen again.

He had no idea what he’d said to scare her away.

Nothing had come of it, but he wouldn’t put it past them to try something again if he didn’t find a girlfriend soon.

As for his remark about Miss Fitzwilliam, he waved a hand.

“She’s only a friend I’m working with on a fundraiser for a mission trip the youth group is planning.

Speaking of cooks, don’t you think now that you have a furnished condo in Manhattan, a log cabin in the countryside where skiing opportunities abound, and a promising career as a Vice President at Deerpark Cabins that you’re ready to settle down and find a good wife who can do all of the cooking for you? ”

Bing rolled his eyes before taking another bite of his pizza. “Ha! Why? Because you still have these old-fashioned notions in your head that a good wife will stay home and do all of the cooking and cleaning as opposed to having a career, or at least a career in spending my trust fund ...”

“Of course. A diminishing trust fund is a sign of a healthy relationship. Better to lay out a little cash than expose your wife to the world and its temptations.” Blake finished his first slice of pizza and reached for the second slice on his plate.

Bing sighed and shook his head. “You really need to get over Elise, my friend. Just because she ran off with some no-good school board superintendent after she became an elementary school teacher doesn’t mean that all women who have a career are off limits.”

“Maybe, but I prefer to take my chances with a woman who prefers to put God, husband, family, and home first.” Blake tasted another bite of his pizza, ignoring Bing’s concerned glance.

He didn’t want anyone’s concern or sympathy.

He loathed sympathy, in fact. No, he was doing just fine.

He’d been broken up with Elise now for two years and had moved on, hadn’t he?

He just hadn’t met anyone worthy of dating.

Finding single women who didn’t have a career planned out for the rest of their life was like finding a needle in a haystack in this day and age. And besides, he was in no hurry.

“I don’t disagree with you on that, in theory.

All I’m saying is that Hensley of Hensley’s Wedding Creations, and her family, have an excellent reputation in Dogwood Creek.

I don’t think she’s anything like Elise.

And I also don’t think Elise intended for things to happen the way they ultimately turned out.

” Bing drank some of his grape soda. “It’s just one of those unfortunate things, but you’ll eventually find the right one.

I think you should give Hensley Fitzwilliam a chance if the opportunity presents itself. ”

“Perhaps, but for some reason, I’m not sure if the type of woman I’m seeking can be found in Dogwood Creek, or anywhere, really.

” Had he begun to give up on finding someone he could fall in love with?

Maybe, but it sure wasn’t Hensley. She was wrapped up in her wedding boutique business, even if she did come from a reputable and rather old-fashioned and charming kind of family.

“I’d venture to say you’re all wrong on that account, old friend. In fact, I’d say you’re more likely to meet someone here than anywhere else on the planet. And the women around Dogwood Creek seem to have more family values than all of the women in Manhattan combined.”

Blake shrugged, but did Bing have a point?

Had he put up walls and defenses for self-preservation against career women because of what had happened when he’d discovered his ex-fiancée’s cheating?

Maybe because he’d caught Elise engaged in a passionate kiss with that unscrupulous fellow, it had cut him too deeply.

If she was going to kiss someone else, she should have at least broken up with him first. That would have been the sensible thing to do, but some women didn’t seem to have a shred of decency these days.

The only good thing that had come out of it was finding out before their wedding rather than after.

But he tilted his head to one side as he took another bite of the pizza. Had he put up obstacles because of his ex that were too high for most women to jump?