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him. But the cocky grin that went with the amendment told her that the slip of tongue didn’t embarrass him at all.
    Mischief and teasing—two more things Wes never indulged in. Not even with her, let alone with someone he barely knew.
    â€œYeah, I think I’ll leave you alone to shower,” Shannon answered the way she would have addressed a kindergartner who had said something inappropriate, even if she couldn’t help smiling at their exchange.
    â€œProbably for the best,” he said, undaunted by her tone.
    â€œI didn’t realize the outside of the house needed painting so badly,” Shannon said as she got out of the car, staring at the farmhouse in order to avoid looking at Dag and obviously changing the subject.
    â€œYep. I don’t know when your grandmother had it done last but it has to have been decades ago. It’ll all have to be scraped and power-washed then re-primed. What do you think about the color when I get around to painting? Back to the yellow or shall I go with white?”
    â€œI know I don’t really get a vote, but I always liked it yellow—it looked warm and homey and sunny to me that way.”
    â€œTrimmed in white?”
    â€œI would, but it’s your house now.”
    Dag motioned for her to go ahead of him up the porch steps and when they reached the house, he held the screen door open for her.
    There were no signs of her grandmother in what Shannon stepped into. The inside of the house was empty of furniture and all the rooms she could see from the entry were in various stages of repair, remodel or renovation with the necessary tools and supplies littering them.
    â€œWow, you’re really gutting the place,” Shannon observed. “I know the appraiser said it needed work—that was why I reduced the price—but I had no idea it was this extensive.”
    â€œHow long has it been since you were here?”
    â€œThe summer just before I turned twelve, so almost eighteen years….”
    â€œThings were pretty run-down.”
    â€œMy grandfather died the year before I was here last, I guess Gramma must not have kept up with things as well on her own. I didn’t realize.”
    â€œFrom what you said about your folks last night, it sounded like you had enough to deal with.”
    â€œAnd it wasn’t as if my dad could come here and help her out, or send money for her to hire someone,” Shannon added as they pieced together why her grandmother must have let the place fall into such disrepair. “But I’m sorry if you came in on a big mess—I had no idea….”
    â€œIt was just an old house. I would have wanted to update it anyway. No big deal. And there are some pluses to the place—the crown molding everywhere, the hardwood floors and just the way the whole house is built makes it more sound and sturdy than newer construction. It gives me a good foundation to work from. Come on, I’ll walk you through what I have planned.”
    They spent the next half hour going room to room,with Dag explaining a complete plumbing overhaul that would leave all three bathrooms like new, a kitchen that sounded like it would be a chef’s dream come true, and even ideas for accent colors of paint here and there that left Shannon surprised by his good taste.
    When they reached the upstairs bedroom where she’d stayed on her visits here, Shannon said, “Have you found the secret cubby?”
    Dag’s eyebrows shot up in curiosity. “There’s a secret cubby? Whatever that is…”
    â€œI’ll show you.”
    Shannon knelt down in front of a section of flowered wallpaper a few feet to the right of the closet. It didn’t look any different than the rest of the loud pink tea-rose print but when she pressed inward and then did a quick release, that particular section popped open to reveal a two-foot-by-two-foot hole in the wall.
    Dag laughed. “I’m sure I would