He didnt smile, but some of the tension went out of his face. Like I said, Im here. Im ready to be convinced that what you do is legitimate.
He wasnt ready to be convinced of anything at all, but at least hed come. Maybe she could still salvage this project once he saw what she actually did here.
Lets see the rest of the operation, Nolie said. She led the way outside, blinking as she stepped into the bright May sunshine.
Gabes sister, Terry, sat in a dusty van pulled up under the oak tree next to the drive. She waved in their direction, but didnt get out.
Your sisters welcome to come look around.
He shook his head. Shes prepping for some paramedic test she has coming up. I told her she could use the time for studying.
He clearly hated depending on other people to take him places. Maybe he also resented the fact that other peoples careers moved on while his stagnated.
Theres my house. She gestured toward the white frame building with its black shutters, a typical Pennsylvania farmhouse nestled into the lush green fields that had drawn Pennsylvania Dutch farmers to the area a century earlier. And the outbuildings.
Gabe glanced at the cottage that was tucked into the grove of hemlocks behind the main house. Space for visiting relatives?
Not exactly. Gabe, with his huge, supportive clan, couldnt possibly imagine the isolation of having no one. I fixed up the guest cottage for clients to use during the final phase of training.
He sent her a wary look. Final phase? That sounds ominous.
In the early stages of training, I work with the client and the service animal several times a week. The last two weeks are intensive training, and the client lives in the cottage with the animal.
Somehow she thought Gabe would balk at that, even if he agreed to the rest of the program. Well, shed handle that when the time came. The important thing now was simply to gain his agreement.
How long does all this take?
Usually a couple of months, at least. But since Mr. Henley put a month limit on us, well have to accelerate the process for you.
She waited for him to reiterate that he didnt need the program, but he merely nodded toward the white-rail-fenced paddock as they approached it. More trained animals, or just color?
She leaned on the top rail, clicking her fingers. The gray donkey ambled over to have his floppy ears scratched. This is Toby. The humane society took him from an abusive owner and asked me to give him a home. As you say, he adds a little color. The children like him, and hes certified as a therapeutic pet.
Gabe reached across the railing to rub Tobys muzzle. Toby stared back with mournful brown eyes. A therapeutic pet, he repeated.
Sorry. She smiled. You dont know the lingo yet. A therapeutic pet is an animal thats trained to go into places like nursing homes to relate to the patients.
You take a donkey into a nursing home? He clearly didnt believe that was possible.
Hey, hes a big hit, especially with the ladies.
Gabe stared at the next animal that wandered up to the fence for her share of attention. What on earth is that?
Nolie patted Dixie. Dixies a miniature horse. Havent you ever seen one before?
He shook his head, his gaze moving between Dixie and the German shepherd. They were about the same size. Just part of the menagerie?
Dixies training as a service animal. Shes going to be a guide animal for a client who is blind.
Youve got to be kidding.
At least shed captured his interest, even if the gaze he turned on her continued to be disbelieving.
Miniature horses are good at that. Theyre intelligent, loyal and they have a longer working lifespan than a dog. Its devastating to a blind person to lose a service dog.
His shoulders moved, as if he didnt want to think about that. I guess it would be. I cant imagine depending on an animal that way.
Thats what were all about here. Animals and clients learn to depend on each other.
She couldnt miss his response to that. He didnt say a word, but his whole body rejected it. Gabe clearly didnt plan to depend on anyone or anything.
Shall we get on with the grand tour? His voice had cooled even more.
All thats left is the barn. Lady pressed against her leg, whining a little. Go on, girl. Youve earned a play time. Lady ducked under the rail, and danced toward the donkey.
Nolie moved quickly toward the open doors of the red barn. She ought to press the subject that burned in her mind, but she wasnt sure how to go about it.
Should she just introduce him to the dog shed chosen for him? Assume he intended to go through with the program and risk his walking away?
Gabe paused as she waded through a cluster of hens fighting over a kernel of corn. His eyebrow quirked. Guide chickens?
I keep them for the eggs. Was he laughing at her? Probably. Well, she didnt care what he thought of her, as long as he didnt keep her from getting her grant.
She stepped into the barn, inhaling its mingled scents of animals, straw and hay. Sunlight, filtering through a few gaps in the siding shed have to fix before next winter, set dust motes dancing.
Peace. That was what she always felt here. It was more peaceful to her than any church could possibly be. It had been her sanctuary more than once, both in the sense of a place to worship and also of a place to hide.
Looks as if no one is in residence. Gabes voice, echoing closer behind her than shed thought, seemed to make the dust motes shimmer.
Theres someone here. She clicked her fingers, and the yellow Lab rose from the mound of straw that was his favorite napping spot. You missed him because hes the same color as his bed.
Max came toward them with the natural dignity that was the first thing shed noticed about the dog when shed seen him in the shelter. She stroked the warm, golden fur.
This is Max. Hes the dog Ive picked out for you.
Gabes tension level shot up so high that she could feel it prick her skin through the inches that separated them. Maxs ears went up, and he moved protectively closer to Nolies side.
Ive already told you
Youve told me you dont need a dog. But obviously your chief thinks you do.
He doesnt think any such thing. Hes just trying to stay on the good side of the Henley Foundation.
Either way, he said youd cooperate. You said youd cooperate. She couldnt let him off the hook. The future of her program depended on him.
Youd be wasting your time with me. Spend it on someone like Danny.
Your cooperation means the money that will let me help a lot of Dannys. It could mean the survival of the program, but she didnt think she wanted to trust him with that information.
His harassed look said he didnt know how to respond to that. All you have to do is go to Henley and tell him Im not a good candidate for your program. Youll get us both out.
Ive already tried that. She was ashamed to admit it. I saw Henley again this morning.
What did he say? He looked like a man who saw his last hope disappearing.
That I should prove I could work with a difficult case. Like you.
She held her breath. Shed laid it all on the line with Gabe. If he walked away
For a long moment he stared at her, his eyes bleak. So were both stuck. He bit off the words.
Relief flooded through her, but she didnt dare let him see it. Yes, I guess we are.
A tiny muscle twitched in his jaw. All right. He spat out the words. Its going to be a disaster. But Ill try.
Chapter Three
Gabe couldnt believe he was agreeing to this crazy idea. He also couldnt believe he was responding to the happiness he saw shimmering in Nolies blue eyes. Or that he wanted to go on seeing it there.
He found himself leaning toward her, as if compelled to be closer. She smelled like soap and sunshine. Nolie
Am I interrupting something? The clear, high voice from the barn entrance brought him abruptly to his senses.
A good thing.
Claire. What are you doing here today? Nolies voice had warmed in a way he hadnt heard before. Apparently she only used her coolest tones on him.
The woman who strolled slowly toward them was Nolies opposite in every conceivable way. Hair a rich, deep auburn, mahogany-colored eyes that were expertly made up, clothes she probably thought of as country that were a far cry from Nolies shabby jeans and T-shirt.
She held out a perfectly manicured hand to him. Im Claire Delany. And you are?
This is one of my clients, Nolie said quickly.
He thought her cheeks were slightly pinker than theyd been earlier. Because shed recognized that insane moment when hed leaned toward her? He hoped not.
Does this client have a name?
Gabriel Flanagan. He could speak for himself. As for whatever that moment had beenwell, not attraction. Definitely not.
He shifted his gaze to the dog, finding it easier to look at Max than to meet Nolies cornflower gaze. Id better be on my way.
I thought wed spend some time working with Max.
Your friend is here. And besides, he didnt want to. He wanted to be alone to figure out how he was going to handle this situation.
Claire will wait. She shot a look at her friend, who nodded.
A relationship between two such different women had to be an unusual one. He pushed the thought aside. He didnt need to know anything about Nolie beyond the obstacle she represented.
Tomorrow will do as well, wont it? My sister needs to get back.
Nolie nodded reluctantly, probably fearing that if he once got away from her, he wouldnt be back. All right, tomorrow. Is two oclock all right?
Two it is. He was already moving toward the door. Hed agree to just about anything right now that would get him out of there. Ill see you tomorrow.
When he saw Nolie tomorrow, hed have figured out how to turn this into a stepping stone. Nolie thought they were stuck with each other, and maybe that was true. But if he had to do this, there had to be a way he could use the situation to get himself on active duty again, the sooner the better.
It took a half hour to drive home, and by the time they arrived, the pep talk Terry seemed compelled to give was wearing thin. She meant well, they all did, but nobody seemed to understand that he had to deal with this situation in his own way.
Seth and Ryan were playing one-on-one in the driveway, so Terry stopped at the curb.
Thanks, baby.
Ryans the baby, Terry snapped back automatically.
He grinned, a bit of his good humor restored. Ill tell him you said so. He started toward his brothers.
Youre not going to play ball, are you? Terry asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
Ignoring the question, he kept on going. His family alternated between treating him as if nothing had happened and acting as if he were an invalid.
Ryan missed the ball, and he grabbed it.
How about taking on some real competition?
He read identical hesitation in both pairs of eyes.
Are you sure thats a good idea? Seth said. I thought you werent supposed to get stressed.
You think beating you is stressful? Think again. He dribbled the ball. Or are you afraid Im going to fall down on the driveway in a fit?
Of course not. Ryan made an unsuccessful effort to steal the ball.
He dribbled past him and shot. The ball rolled around the rim and bounced out. Im out of practice.
Youd better take it easy on that leg, or Mom will be out here yelling at all of us. Seth grabbed the ball. How did it go today?
He shrugged. The net is closing. She claims she tried to get the foundation let her use someone else, but Henley wouldnt.
The chief wont back down, either. If Dad couldnt budge him, no one will.
I dont see a way out. Hed snatch it like a loose ball if he did, agreement or not.
Look, it wont be so bad. Seth was determined to look on the bright side, but that was Seth, everyones friend. Even if you dont need the dog, it wont hurt to play along. You can use the time to get your leg strong again, so you can get back on duty.
Ryan popped the ball out of Seths hands. Bad advice. Good old reliable Seth, always playing it safe.
Seth flushed. Thats a lot better than taking stupid risks.
He glanced from one to the other. Did that mean Ryan had been skirting the edge again at work? A firefighter couldnt be paralyzed by danger, but he shouldnt flirt with it, either.
What have you been up to, Ryan? I keep hearing talk that youre taking a few too many chances these days.
Ryan shrugged, giving him a cocky look that said he thought he was indestructible. Maybe Im trying to live up to my brother, the hero.
The flip words drove like a knife into his soul. Im not a hero. If he really were a hero, hed have found a way to save the men whod died beside him. Dont you try to be one. We dont need any funerals in the family.
Hey, lighten up. I didnt mean anything. I just think you ought to risk turning on the famous Flanagan charm, thats all. Ryan grinned. Believe me, a plain Jane like that woman would eat it right up. And a few words from her might sway the chiefs opinion about when you can get back on the line.
Ryan might actually have a point, although he wouldnt tell him so. Only there were a couple of problems with his scenario.
One was that he was no Ryan, able to turn on the Flanagan charm at a moments notice.
And the other was that Nolie Lang wasnt plain. Somehow his image of her had changed over the afternoon. In her own setting, Nolie had metamorphosed. He saw again her tenderness as she worked with the child. Pictured the passion in her eyes when she defended her work.
No, Nolie was definitely not plain. But she was definitely trouble.
Nolie spotted the car pull into her lane the next afternoon as she finished her session with Danny. At least Gabe had come. And on time, so she could get on with her goal for the day.
Two goals, she amended. The first was to get him to bond with his doga professional goal, one she understood how to approach.
However, she also had a personal goal, and that was trickier. She had to stop herself from responding to his sheer animal magnetism.
Claire, of course, had picked up on that instantly the day before. Given how their friendship had begun, Claire could honestly say she knew more about Nolie than anyone, and shed seen that betraying flush. Claire had insisted that Gabe felt something, too, claiming she could always tell.