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had she known what he was thinking?
    Shannon shoved a stack of papers aside and set a smiley face mug in front of him. “I’m thinking of expanding—opening a new shop in the Tri-Cities. Could be lucrative, I’m not sure.”
    “I might be able to help you.” The words slipped out. He couldn’t imagine a shop like hers in the upscale areas he serviced.
    “Really?” Smiling, Shannon took a seat across from him.
    “Yep. My father and I own a real estate company.” He took a sip of tea. Weird.
    “That would be totally awesome.” She scooted to the edge of her seat. “Wow, what you did today. . .” Shannon sighed. “You saved my best friend from breaking something serious, that’s for sure.” She sipped from her cup.
    “I’m sure Allie would’ve gotten that horse under control. She looks like a strong, capable woman.” A memory of the wild-haired Allie atop the crazy horse made him smile. Allie was spunky, but something in her green eyes told him she was vulnerable, too.
    Nodding, Shannon set down her cup. “Allie is capable, all right. And strong. I don’t think I could’ve survived what she went through.”
    “Why? Are you afraid of horses?”
    Shannon shook her head. “Oh, I didn’t mean the horse incident. I mean she’s emotionally strong. First her daddy died. He had a heart attack. No one saw it coming, although he was a lot older than Allie’s mom.” Shannon shook her head. “He was such a great guy. Anyway, then her brother and sister-in-law in that awful car accident.”
    Derrick held his breath—and his tongue—while he watched her slowly sip the tea. He couldn’t hold back. “Danny’s parents are dead?”
    Tears pooled in Shannon’s eyes. “Poor little guy. Allie made sure he got counseling.” She jumped up, opened a cupboard door, and grabbed a box of tissues. As she peeled away the plastic from the box, Derrick scrubbed his jaw with his fingers. Danny seemed to be in good hands.
    “Sorry.” Shannon sat back down and blew her nose into the tissue, then fanned her flushed face with her hand, a silver ring on nearly every finger. “Anyway, Allie takes better care of everyone around her than she does herself. She might have done with some counseling as well.” Shannon blinked, then looked at him as though she were surprised to see him sitting across from her. “Do you go to church, Derrick?”
    What? The way her mind jumped from topic to topic could give someone mental whiplash. Patience. He had to get her to back up where she’d left off in the conversation, but again, his gut warned him not to push. “Yes.”
    “Oh, I had a feeling you were a Christian. I can usually tell. It’s something on people’s faces. . .well, really, it’s in their eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul, you know.” Shannon’s bright smile was back. “Derrick, you must come to Walla Walla Tabernacle tomorrow morning! Allie will be there, too. And guess what else. Tomorrow Danny’s boys’ group will get badges during the service.”
    Derrick quickly sorted through Shannon’s words, keying in on the most important fact. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks. If it turned out Danny was his nephew, he’d be able to tell his sister that Danny was active in church. Sandy would be ecstatic. “In that case, I’m there. Where is it, and what time is the service?”
    “Oh, cool! I’ve got last week’s bulletin with the address.” She got up and rifled through a three-inch stack of papers. “Here it is! Service starts at ten.” Shannon gave him the bulletin, then rubbed her hands together. “It’s like you’re part of the family already, saving Allie’s life and all.”
    Guilt speared his heart. He had to keep playing his part, keep up the facade, despite the fact that it meant leading on such nice people. “Got anymore tea?” He had forced down the strange brew, but he needed a reason to linger and keep Shannon talking.
    Shannon was out of her chair, kettle in hand. She grabbed a