Hero in Her Heart

Chapter Two

By the time supper ended, Gabe was beginning to think he’d never get rid of Nolie Lang. Every member of his family seemed determined to talk to her. He could only hope they were all telling her the same thing he had—that he didn’t need her help. The woman should leave convinced she’d have to find another guinea pig for her experiment.

Judging by the way Nolie’s gaze kept darting toward the door, she was ready to be free of the Flanagans, too, for the moment, at least. Well, he wanted her to be free of them permanently.

He’d steered clear while Mom had showed her the wall full of fire-department photos and citations above the mantel, not wanting to be the subject of his mother’s praises in front of this woman.

But now Ryan joined them, chatting away as if he and Nolie were old friends. Gabe hoped he was reinforcing the family line—Gabe doesn’t need your help. Gabe is fine. Gabe will be back on the job in no time.

Ryan seemed to be turning on an inordinate amount of the Flanagan charm. Now, why was his little brother going to so much trouble? It certainly wasn’t as if Nolie were his type. Ryan might be initially attracted by the long blond hair, but everything else about Nolie would turn him off.

Plain. That was all he could think. She looked as if she hadn’t made the faintest effort—just run in from the barn and tossed on a white shirt and navy blazer. Even his tomboy sister Terry would have done a better job for an important interview.

So what interested Ryan so much? He sauntered closer to find out.

“That’s my father and his brothers when they first joined the department.”

Ryan had obviously taken over the explanations, while his mother smiled and nodded. Nolie couldn’t know it, but the Flanagan kids favored either Mom or Dad in personality as well as looks. Mary Kate, Terry and Ryan were as ebullient as Dad, while he and Seth had his mother’s reserve.

Ryan’s eyes sparked with mischief as Gabe joined them. “And here’s the brand-new citation for our latest hero, Gabriel Flanagan.”

Nolie studied the plaque with every indication of interest. Gabe averted his eyes from it and glared at his brother.

“Give it a rest, Ryan.”

“Hey, I will when you stop gold-bricking and get back on the job. I don’t want to have to uphold the family traditions single-handedly.”

“You’ve got Dad, Seth and Terry to do that.”

He could only hope they were also keeping Ryan in line. The kid had a tendency to take more risks than he needed to at times.

“They’re not the current hero.” Ryan, of course, knew exactly what buttons to push.

“Knock it off.” That came out with enough of a snarl in his voice that even his baby brother knew he meant it.

With another engaging grin for Nolie, Ryan moved away.

“We are proud of you,” his mother said softly. “You know that, don’t you?”

“Sure, Mom.” He dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. “I understand, but Nolie didn’t come to hear the whole Flanagan saga.”

“Actually it’s quite helpful in deciding what kind of dog will work best for you,” Nolie said. “I’m finding it all very interesting.”

She was probably picturing the publicity she’d get for her program with him as her prized exhibit. Well, he wasn’t going to join her dog-and-pony show, not if he could help it.

A clatter of dishes from the kitchen diverted his mother. She murmured an apology and scurried in that direction.

As soon as she’d gone, he squared off with Nolie. “I already told you. I don’t need a dog.”

Her level brows lifted. “I believe I heard you tell the chief that you’d cooperate.”

“What I told—” he began.

“Are you seeing all the family history?” This time the interruption came from a man new to the gathering, and he gritted his teeth before attempting introductions.

“Nolie Lang, this is my cousin, Brendan Flanagan. Come to scrounge some leftovers, no doubt.”

Brendan’s grin admitted the truth of that barb. “Only partly. I also wanted to meet Ms. Lang.”

“Nolie, please.” She extended her hand. “Are you another of the Flanagan firefighters?”

Brendan shook his head, probably used to explaining his story.

“I’m the one holdout—the only Flanagan who didn’t go into the family business. I’m the minister at Grace Church.”

Gabe couldn’t miss Nolie’s reaction to that. She snatched her hand back as if she’d touched hot metal, and her skin went pale under her tan.

Now what, exactly, was going on with the woman?

“Brendan keeps us in line,” Gabe said with deliberate casualness, watching her. “If all the Flanagans aren’t sitting in a row on Sunday morning, he wants to know why.”

“And I’m also the fire department chaplain, so they can’t get away from me at work, either,” Brendan added. “Which I guess means I didn’t completely reject the family business.”

He could tell by the way Brendan studied Nolie’s face that he’d noted her intense reaction, too.

“I see.” She gave a meaningless smile, and he sensed that only strong control kept her from bolting out the door. She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a card. “Here’s my address,” she said, handing it to Gabe. “I’d like to meet at the farm tomorrow, if that’s possible for you.”

His jaw clenched. “I don’t think I can make it.”

Their gazes clashed, and he saw a determination in hers that matched his own. “I think you’d better find a way.”

The implication was clear. He’d show up, or she’d sic the chief on him.

“Fine.” He ground out the word. “What time?”

“About one o’clock would be good for me.”

She waited long enough for his curt nod, and then turned toward the door. “Please thank your parents for me. I really have to leave.”

She didn’t wait for a response, just bolted toward the exit with barely concealed relief.

Gabe let the door close behind her before he looked at his cousin, eyebrows lifting.

“Okay, let me in on the secret. Exactly what did you do to the woman to send her running?”

Brendan shrugged, his eyes troubled. “I don’t know. She seems to have a problem with ministers, doesn’t she?”

“Obviously. You don’t usually send strange women screaming for the exit.”

That didn’t bring the smile he expected from Brendan. “I’d like to talk with her further. Maybe when you’re working with her, you can mention that I’d enjoy getting to know her better.”

“I don’t intend to be working with her, remember?”

“So I’ve heard.” Brendan’s gaze probed beneath the surface. “You want to talk about that?”

No. He didn’t. He didn’t want to talk about any of it. “Thanks anyway, Brendan. Save the pastoral advice for somebody who needs it. I’m fine.”

Fine. He certainly didn’t want to talk to his cousin about the fact that he seemed to be going through the motions spiritually these days. Or that God had been silent just when he needed Him most.

And he also didn’t intend to discuss his vulnerabilities with Nolie Lang. Determination tensed every muscle. This little encounter hadn’t worked out as well as he’d hoped. Even the Flanagan crew hadn’t been able to convince her he didn’t need her services.

But the next day they’d be alone together, without his loving, interfering family around. They’d have it out.

He wasn’t going to be Nolie’s test case. Tomorrow he’d make sure she accepted that fact.

Gabe hadn’t shown up. One o’clock had come and gone, and he hadn’t even called. Nolie couldn’t say she was surprised.

She tried to concentrate on getting Danny Trent and his wheelchair through the obstacle course she’d set up in the renovated garage that was now her training center. She’d left the big doors open, and May sunshine warmed the concrete floor.

One might expect that the eight-year-old, with his multiple birth defects and his feuding parents, would be tough to work with, but he wasn’t. Danny’s indomitable spirit shone through no matter what struggle he faced.

At the moment he was adjusting to training with Lady, the German shepherd she’d chosen for him. Both took to their challenges eagerly, and her heart warmed with the joy of a successful pairing.

“Great job, Danny.”

Danny rewarded her with the smile that seemed too big for his small face. “Thanks.”

“Now tell Lady what a good girl she is and give her a treat.”

She watched as he struggled to make his hand cooperate in giving Lady the doggie nugget. It was hard not to jump in and help when he had difficulty, but Danny could do this himself. Every little triumph gave him energy for the next challenge.

The boy beamed when he succeeded. Lady licked his cheek, making him giggle.

“Can we do it again, Nolie? Please?”

“Sure, give it another try.”

He’d do it faster this time, with more confidence. Gabe ought to see this. Maybe Danny’s efforts would help him to understand what her program was all about.

She couldn’t say she’d done a very good job of dealing with the man. She’d like to blame it on being knocked off balance by the unexpected condition Henley had put on her grant, but that wasn’t all that had gone wrong.

She’d found Flanagan himself intimidating, although she’d certainly never let him know it. His fierce anger at what had happened to him was almost palpable. He couldn’t admit that. He was in complete denial about the entire situation.

As for that visit to his house—well, she’d been grateful to escape back to the solitude of her own little world. The Flanagan brood was a little overwhelming.

Unfortunately, escape was the right word. She’d basically run like a deer after that unexpected encounter with Gabe’s cousin. The minister.

The very word left a sour taste in her mouth. That was what Brother Joshua had called himself, although certainly no divinity school had ever claimed him. And she doubted that God had given any sort of blessing to the man.

None of that had mattered to the great-aunt who’d reluctantly taken her in after everyone else had abandoned her. To put it in the most charitable light, Aunt Mariah hadn’t known what to do with a thrown-away eight-year-old. So she’d turned to the leader of her bizarre sect for child-rearing advice.

I know I should get over this, Father. My relationship with You transcends anything in my past. It does. But every time I come into contact with organized religion, all those dark memories come back.

Well, she didn’t have to have anything more to do with Gabe’s cousin. And it looked as if she might not be able to have anything more to do with Gabe, either.

What were her options? She could confront him again. Or go to the fire chief for help. Or even contact the foundation, although she certainly didn’t want to admit failure to Samuel Henley at the first hurdle.

“We did it!” Danny crowed. “We did perfect, Nolie.”

“You sure did, honey.” She managed to hug him and ruffle the dog’s fur at the same time. “You’ll be ready for graduation before you know it.”

His face clouded. “I don’t want to—not if I have to go away from you.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Her heart clenched. “I’ll always be your friend, you know that.”

But they would part. That was the nature of her work. She bonded with a child or an animal, worked intensely with them for months, and then saw them leave. That was success—they didn’t need her anymore.

She planted a kiss on Danny’s cheek. “Your mom’s here to pick you up. I’ll see you next time.”

She straightened, trying to keep the smile on her face. Danny’s mother wasn’t the only one here. Gabe lounged in the doorway, watching her.

Tension zinged along her nerves. She’d rather work with a dozen Dannys than one large, angry male, but she didn’t have a choice.

She waved goodbye to the child and tried to put a little steel in her spine as she walked toward Gabe, Lady trotting at her heels. She wouldn’t let the man intimidate her. She would show him the work she did here so convincingly that he’d have to admit its value.

And make him admit he needed it? Probably not, but she had to try.

“Good afternoon.” She wouldn’t say anything about his tardiness. Let him bring it up if he wanted.

He gave a curt nod. The jeans and white knit shirt he wore today contrasted with the dress shirt and slacks he’d had on at the foundation the day before. His shoulders seemed even broader, his frown more intimidating.

She wiped her palms on her own faded jeans. He was not going to succeed in cowing her.

“That’s a cute kid.” When he finally spoke, it was about Danny.

“Yes, he is.” Her gaze softened as she watched the boy’s mother settle him into her van and fold his wheelchair with the ease of long practice.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Lady nuzzled Gabe’s leg, curious about the stranger, and he scratched her ears absently.

Good. At least he related to a dog without tension or fear. “Danny has multiple birth defects. He may always have to depend on the chair, but he and Lady are going to be a good team.”

He glanced down at Lady. “Why didn’t the dog go home with him?”

“They have a lot of training to do with me before that happens. But Danny’s a hard worker. He’ll make it.” What about you, Gabe? Will you give me a chance to help you?

“Meaning you think I’m not.” He shot the words at her.

She couldn’t argue with everything he said, or they’d never get anything done. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

She gestured around the expanse of concrete, with its hurdles, barricades, ramps and stairs. “This is our training area. Clients and animals learn to work together here.”

“Don’t you mean dogs?”

At least something interested him. “Mostly dogs, but not always. I’ve trained monkeys to help people who have limited use of their hands. Different animals meet different needs.” She stroked Lady. “Lady will help Danny learn to maneuver in his chair, keep him safe and protect him if he falls.”

“That’s a big job for an animal.” He was still frowning, but at least he wasn’t walking away.

“Lady can handle it. She loves to work. I’m hoping that eventually she’ll be able to alert him.” She hesitated, and then deliberately added, “Danny has a seizure disorder, too. Maybe you ought to talk with him about it.”

“No.” The word snapped out at her, sharp as a slap.

“It could help both of you.”

His hands clenched, as if he didn’t know what to do with his stress. “Look, I did tell the chief I’d cooperate, so I’m here. But don’t try putting me in a box with your other patients. I won’t fit.”

Patience, Nolie, patience.

“So where does the cooperating part come in?”

He didn’t smile, but some of the tension went out of his face. “Like I said, I’m here. I’m ready to be convinced that what you do is legitimate.”

He wasn’t ready to be convinced of anything at all, but at least he’d come. Maybe she could still salvage this project once he saw what she actually did here.

“Let’s see the rest of the operation,” Nolie said. She led the way outside, blinking as she stepped into the bright May sunshine.

Gabe’s sister, Terry, sat in a dusty van pulled up under the oak tree next to the drive. She waved in their direction, but didn’t get out.

“Your sister’s welcome to come look around.”

He shook his head. “She’s 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 people’s careers moved on while his stagnated.

“There’s 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, couldn’t 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, she’d 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, we’ll have to accelerate the process for you.”

She waited for him to reiterate that he didn’t 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 he’s certified as a therapeutic pet.”

Gabe reached across the railing to rub Toby’s muzzle. Toby stared back with mournful brown eyes. “A therapeutic pet,” he repeated.

“Sorry.” She smiled. “You don’t know the lingo yet. A therapeutic pet is an animal that’s trained to go into places like nursing homes to relate to the patients.”

“You take a donkey into a nursing home?” He clearly didn’t believe that was possible.

“Hey, he’s 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. “Dixie’s a miniature horse. Haven’t 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?”

“Dixie’s training as a service animal. She’s going to be a guide animal for a client who is blind.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

At least she’d captured his interest, even if the gaze he turned on her continued to be disbelieving.

“Miniature horses are good at that. They’re intelligent, loyal and they have a longer working lifespan than a dog. It’s devastating to a blind person to lose a service dog.”

His shoulders moved, as if he didn’t want to think about that. “I guess it would be. I can’t imagine depending on an animal that way.”

“That’s what we’re all about here. Animals and clients learn to depend on each other.”

She couldn’t miss his response to that. He didn’t say a word, but his whole body rejected it. Gabe clearly didn’t plan to depend on anyone or anything.

“Shall we get on with the grand tour?” His voice had cooled even more.

“All that’s left is the barn.” Lady pressed against her leg, whining a little. “Go on, girl. You’ve 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 wasn’t sure how to go about it.

Should she just introduce him to the dog she’d 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 didn’t care what he thought of her, as long as he didn’t 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 she’d 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.” Gabe’s voice, echoing closer behind her than she’d thought, seemed to make the dust motes shimmer.

“There’s 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 he’s the same color as his bed.”

Max came toward them with the natural dignity that was the first thing she’d noticed about the dog when she’d seen him in the shelter. She stroked the warm, golden fur.

“This is Max. He’s the dog I’ve picked out for you.”

Gabe’s tension level shot up so high that she could feel it prick her skin through the inches that separated them. Max’s ears went up, and he moved protectively closer to Nolie’s side.

“I’ve already told you—”

“You’ve told me you don’t need a dog. But obviously your chief thinks you do.”

“He doesn’t think any such thing. He’s just trying to stay on the good side of the Henley Foundation.”

“Either way, he said you’d cooperate. You said you’d cooperate.” She couldn’t let him off the hook. The future of her program depended on him.

“You’d 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 didn’t think she wanted to trust him with that information.

His harassed look said he didn’t know how to respond to that. “All you have to do is go to Henley and tell him I’m not a good candidate for your program. You’ll get us both out.”

“I’ve 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. She’d laid it all on the line with Gabe. If he walked away—

For a long moment he stared at her, his eyes bleak. “So we’re both stuck.” He bit off the words.

Relief flooded through her, but she didn’t dare let him see it. “Yes, I guess we are.”

A tiny muscle twitched in his jaw. “All right.” He spat out the words. “It’s going to be a disaster. But I’ll try.”