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
