“No.” He had to be sure she understood this. “This seizure-alert thing only works if the person actually has seizures, right?”
“Of course.” Her eyes were wary.
“Then I’m no good to you. Because I’m not going to have any more seizures.”
She looked at him steadily for a long moment, and he didn’t have the slightest idea if she bought it. Then she lifted a level eyebrow.
“Will your doctor confirm that?”
His fists clenched. “Take my word for it. I won’t be a help to you. So the sooner you convince Henley this isn’t going to work, the sooner we can both get on with our lives.”
It was a nice speech. Unfortunately Nolie Lang looked at him as if she didn’t believe a word of it.
The approach of a woman who was probably Gabe’s mother prevented Nolie from replying. Good timing, because almost anything she said would have led to an explosion on Gabe’s part.
Did Gabe have any idea how deeply into denial he was? Probably not, or he’d show some sign that he didn’t quite believe his own words.
What if he’s right? The insidious question slipped into her mind as she got out of the car. If Gabe’s injury had healed, she’d be in the unique position of trying to demonstrate her techniques on someone who would never need them. And Samuel Henley would have put a condition on his grant that she could never fulfill.
Head swimming, she pasted a smile on her face and turned to the woman who’d come to greet them.
“Gabe.” Mrs. Flanagan had a quick smile and a pat on the cheek for her son. The unconscious lovingness of the gesture grabbed Nolie’s heart.
The woman held out her hand. “You must be Ms. Lang. I’m Siobhan Flanagan. Welcome to our home.”
Nolie looked into eyes that were as deeply blue as Gabe’s, but far less guarded. A few lines on her fair skin spoke of life experience, but only a strand or two of gray accented her black hair. Again, like her son’s.
“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Nolie shook hands, wondering a little. Gabe hadn’t called his mother, but she’d obviously known to expect them. That must mean the fire chief had called her, indicating a close relationship between them. She filed that fact away for later consideration.
“You come right on in.” Mrs. Flanagan linked her arm with Nolie’s. “We’re all eager to get to know you.”
All? Nolie took note of the cars lining the drive. “It looks as if you’re having a party. I can come another time.”
That actually brought a short bark of laughter from Gabe, following them up the walk. “No party. Just the usual crush of Flanagans.”
Mrs. Flanagan had a firm grip on her arm. Short of yanking herself free, she seemed to be stuck.
Gabe opened the front door, and a wave of sound hit her, taking her breath away. Apparently all the Flanagans were talking at once.
Gabe’s mother seemed to sniff the air. “Goodness, my stew.” She patted Nolie’s arm. “You’ll stay for supper with us. Don’t you run away until we have a chance to talk.”
She scurried off. She couldn’t know just how much Nolie wanted to run away.
Don’t be ridiculous. They can’t hurt you. She had to lecture herself on the subject of families now and then. Every family wasn’t like hers, after all.
And if she could gain the family’s cooperation, her work with Gabe might be considerably easier. So she’d do this.
People seemed to swirl through the huge living room and dining room that stretched the entire width of the house. She had a quick impression of comfortably overstuffed furniture and walls crowded with family photos—dozens of family photos.
Gabe was still at her side, and she could feel the solid strength of him through the brush of his arm against hers. She sought for something to say. “You have a big family.”
“You might say that. My parents have five kids, although sometimes it seems like more.”
“And you all live at home?”
Gabe’s eyes flickered with a touch of regret. “I have my own place. I moved home after the accident.”
She added that fact to her mental calculations of the dog who would be best for Gabe, always assuming he stayed with the program long enough to get a dog.
“I guess that seems odd, but my folks are old-fashioned.” He sounded slightly defensive. “They want their kids to live at home until they’re married.”
“Or longer.” The speaker must be one of Gabe’s brothers, since he had the trademark deep blue eyes and black hair. Probably in his mid twenties, he had an engaging liveliness to his face, and he carried a wiggling toddler under one arm. “I thought we’d never get Mary Kate out of the house.” He held out his hand to Nolie. “I’m Ryan.”
“The baby.” A red-haired woman arrived at his elbow. “I’m Mary Kate.” She started to shake hands with Nolie, then abruptly turned away to grab the toddler Ryan was dangling. “How many times have we told you not to hold Davy upside down? You want him to throw up on you? Come help me put a leaf in the table.”
They left before Nolie had a chance to say anything, even assuming she could have thought of something. She glanced at Gabe, to find him watching her with amusement.
“They’re a bit much, I grant you. Mary Kate’s the oldest, and the two red-haired hooligans are hers.” He nodded toward a boy and girl chasing each other. “I’m next, then Seth, then Theresa, then Ryan. The little guy Ryan was holding is Seth’s son, Davy. Don’t worry about remembering their names.”
Because she wouldn’t be around long enough for it to matter?
“I don’t want to impose.” What she wanted was to get out of this crowd and back to her quiet house. Alone. “I just needed to get a sense of what your home life was like so that I can choose an appropriate animal.”
“My mother would consider it an insult if you left now.”
He nodded to Siobhan, who was clinking a spoon on a glass. The signal sent her family scurrying to the dining-room table—a long walnut oval covered by a lace tablecloth.
She could guess that Gabe’s opinion didn’t match his mother’s. Still, she needed all the help she could get with the man. If she didn’t win him over—
She stopped that thought before it could take over. She managed a smile and let herself be piloted to a seat.
The man next to her was obviously Gabe’s father, and just as obviously the patriarch of the clan. He sat in a massive chair at the head of the table, watching benevolently as his family took their places.
He didn’t say anything, just waited as they quieted and clasped hands around the table. Before she quite knew
