Hero in Her Heart. Marta Perry

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СКАЧАТЬ Four

      Nolie walked through the chrome-and-glass doors of the fire-department administrative offices the next morning, trying to concentrate on the mission that had brought her here. Unfortunately her wayward imagination kept transporting her back to those moments on the swing with Gabe.

      She’d given away too much of herself to him. She didn’t do that with anyone except Claire, and that was only because she and Claire had found each other in a support group for abuse survivors.

      The support group hadn’t wiped away the dark shadows of her past, but it had given her an amazing friend. She was constantly grateful for that.

      Claire was safe. She could tell Claire anything and know that it would never be used against her. But Gabe—

      Gabe was so intent on his passion to return to fire fighting that she didn’t think he’d stop at much to get there. Including using her, if he thought it would be to his advantage.

      Had he seen, when she’d talked about the stray animals she trained, that she equated herself with those abandoned creatures? She had to find a way to keep her guard up with him, or he’d trample over her on his way back to the life he wanted.

      And that wasn’t the most serious problem. If Gabe continued to deny his need, that might keep him from bonding with his service dog. All her work on the grant proposal could come to nothing.

      She crossed the glossy tile floor to the elevators, searching the posted directory for the fire chief’s name. She had to get an unbiased opinion about Gabe, and she certainly couldn’t get that from his family.

      The Flanagan family’s overflowing love would probably make them support him if he declared that the sky was pink with orange polka dots. She couldn’t imagine what that must be like—to have people love and support you that much.

      She stepped into the elevator, confronting her image in its mirrored wall. She wore the navy blazer again. Claire kept threatening to burn it, but she never did. Maybe she understood that Nolie needed the anonymity the blazer represented.

      Worthless, her aunt’s voice whispered in her memory.

      Taking a breath, she concentrated on the blinking light that showed the floors. Whatever her aunt had believed, she wasn’t worthless. She was doing good work, and she’d do even more once she had the grant. So she wasn’t about to give up on Gabe Flanagan, no matter how much he’d like her to.

      The elevator doors swished open, and she stepped into a long hallway, empty except for one person. Her stomach clenched. Brendan Flanagan. The Reverend Brendan Flanagan.

      “Nolie, hi.” His smile held a tinge of surprise. “What brings you here?”

      She rejected the impulse to lie to him. “I wanted to speak with Chief Donovan. Is his office on this floor?”

      Brendan nodded toward a door. “It is, but he isn’t in right now. Can I help you?”

      “I don’t think so.” Her grand plan seemed to be dissolving. “Maybe I can make an appointment to see him later.”

      He hesitated, his eyebrows lifting in a question. “Is this about Gabe?”

      He wouldn’t believe her if she said no. She nodded.

      “Maybe I can help, unless it’s something official.” His smile was deprecating. “Even though I’m the department chaplain, they don’t really trust me with official business.”

      He didn’t look much like a chaplain in his rumpled khakis and navy pullover. He might be another of the young firefighters she’d seen downstairs.

      “I really need to talk with someone about Gabe.” She pushed her discomfort out of the way. This was too important to let her own hang-ups stop her. “Someone impartial.”

      He considered for a moment, weighing her words gravely. “Well, I’m not completely impartial. Gabe is my cousin, as well as my friend. But I think I can be objective about him.” He smiled. “Unlike the rest of the Flanagans, I might add.”

      She managed a small smile in return. “They are certainly…supportive, I guess you could say.”

      “I’m not sure that’s what Gabe would say, but it’ll do.” He gestured toward the end of the hall. “There’s a break room here. I’ll get you a cup of coffee, and you can tell me what you need to know about my cousin.”

      She didn’t want to spend any more time than she had to in his company, but Brendan seemed genuine enough. And the prize she had to win was worth facing a few dragons, wasn’t it?

      “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

      The few minutes it took to settle themselves at a small table in the empty lounge let her organize her thoughts. She wrapped her fingers around the cup Brendan handed her and tried to look at him without thinking of him as a minister.

      It was easier than she’d have expected, probably because he didn’t look like any minister she’d ever met, not that she’d met that many. Brother Joshua had been enough for a lifetime.

      “What can I tell you about Gabe?” Brendan pushed back the lock of dark hair that tumbled toward the rims of his glasses.

      She reconsidered her view of him. With his serious, studious expression and his glasses, he looked more like a young professor than either a firefighter or a minister.

      “I’m trying to find the best way to work with Gabe,” she said carefully. She had to keep in mind that this was Gabe’s cousin. “So far I’m finding that he’s—”

      She stopped. Too attractive for his own good? Too appealing to be alone with? She didn’t want to go there.

      “In complete denial,” Brendan said.

      She gave him a look of surprised gratitude. “Yes, he is. I thought I was the only one who saw that.”

      Brendan frowned down at the dark coffee in his cup. “Siobhan does, I think, but probably no one else in the family. As for the chief—well, I know he has a desk job lined up for Gabe, in the event he can’t go back on active duty.”

      She turned that over in her mind, wondering. “Do you think Gabe would accept that?”

      “Not for a minute.”

      This time his answer didn’t surprise her.

      “He’s certainly determined to get back to work. So much so that I’m afraid it’s influencing his attitude toward working with me.”

      Brendan grinned. “You mean he’s so bullheaded that he can’t see anything but his own objective.”

      “Something like that.”

      “You have to understand.” He leaned across the table toward her, eyes intent. “Gabe’s a warrior. Always has been. An old-fashioned knight in shining armor rushing to rescue the helpless. That’s what being a firefighter means to him.”

      The image warmed her. “You care a lot about him.”

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