Marta Perry - Hero in Her Heart

“Mom’s going out this afternoon.” Gabe’s mouth tightened in annoyance, she suspected, that he had to depend on others for something as simple as a ride. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll manage.”

“You have to have a ride.” Terry obviously felt torn.

“I have to go into town later anyway,” Nolie said. “I can easily drop you off.”

She didn’t want to make the offer, and he probably didn’t want to accept it. Spending more time in the man’s company was hardly the best way to get over the random attraction she’d imagined she felt. But she couldn’t very well do anything else.

“Thanks, Nolie. That’s great.” Terry seemed to take her brother’s acceptance for granted. “Gotta go.” She barely waited until Nolie stepped back before she gunned the motor and went spinning out of the lane.

“Sorry.” Gabe waved goodbye to Danny as they drove by more sedately. “My sister seems to have left her manners at home.”

“It’s fine. I’m happy to run you by the house when we’ve finished.”

Another half hour in his company. Well, she’d figure out a way to deal with it. Maybe being around him would inoculate her against all that masculine energy.

“Thanks.”

The word came out reluctantly, and she thought she knew why. Gabe didn’t want to feel indebted to her for anything.

She started walking toward the training center, and he fell into step beside her. That faint limp was still there, audible if not visible to anyone who knew enough to pay attention to the rhythm of his steps.

“I hope you don’t mind my introducing you to Danny. He asked to meet you.”

“No problem. But why did he want to meet me?” He frowned. “You didn’t tell him—”

“I didn’t tell him about your seizure disorder.” She used the words deliberately, hoping frequent use might rob them of some of their sting.

“Then why?”

“Surely you’ve run into that before. To a little kid, especially one like Danny who can’t get around much, a firefighter is someone to look up to. I’m afraid he has a bad case of hero-worship.”

She felt his steps halt, saw the tension drive lines deeper in his face. “He shouldn’t,” he said shortly.

He’d reacted before to that word. Maybe she’d better bring this out into the open. If they were to have any sort of a working relationship, she didn’t want to keep tripping over things that bothered him.

“I’ve obviously said the wrong thing. Is it some sort of faux pas to refer to a firefighter as a hero—one of those things every firefighter knows?”

“No.” His eyes had gone so dark they were almost black. “But if you want to call someone a hero, make it one of the firefighters who died in that warehouse fire. They were the heroes, not me.”

Her breath caught at the pain etched into his words. He’d known those men who died, obviously. Still grieved for them. She reached toward him almost involuntarily, wanting to comfort him, not knowing how.

“I’m sorry.” Her throat went tight on the words. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He shook his head, as if to shake off her sympathy. “Not your fault.” He grasped her hands in both of his suddenly, and the sensation of his touch traveled straight up her arms in a warming wave, wiping out all the rational things she’d been saying to herself about the attraction she felt.

“Still, I—” Whatever she might have intended to say seemed to get lost in a welter of reaction.

“Look, I’m no hero. I’m just a man with a job to do. If you want to help me, make sure I go back to work. I’m over this seizure thing. I’m ready.”

Her mind started to function again. He wanted her help, but not the help she was qualified to give.

“I’m sorry.” She pulled her hands free. “It’s not up to me. You know that.”

“It could be.” He didn’t attempt to touch her again, but the intensity of his gaze nailed her to the spot. “The chief might listen to you if you told him I’m okay. That I’m ready to go back on the line.”

He was grasping at straws, but she doubted he was ready to hear that.

“First things first.” She tried to manage a cool smile. “We’re here to do a job. Let’s get on with that and put going back to work on the back burner for a while.”

She thought he wanted to flare out at her, but he didn’t. Instead he gave her a look she couldn’t interpret. “I understand. You’re right. Let’s get started.”

He turned toward the training center. She had to hurry to keep up, because her mind was spinning with possibilities.

What if Gabe was right about himself? If his seizures really were a thing of the past, he was no good to her as a test case. She had to get a handle on his physical condition, and soon.

And then there was the personal problem. What on earth was she going to do with this totally inappropriate attraction she felt every time she was near the man?

He’d blown it. Gabe was still berating himself as Nolie put him and Max through a series of obedience exercises in the training center she’d set up in a converted garage. Her voice echoed through the wide space as she gave him directions. A barn swallow, apparently nesting in the rafters, swooped out the open door at the sound.

He shouldn’t have rushed into telling her what he wanted. He should have taken it easy, let her warm up to him. Rationally presented his arguments.

Instead he’d blurted it out, making it almost inevitable that she’d say no.

He didn’t intend to take Ryan’s advice and try to charm the woman. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be friendly. Let her feel she was getting to know him. Get her on his side.

As for what he was going to do with that totally inappropriate blast of attraction he’d felt when he’d held her hands—well, that was probably a good thing to ignore. She wasn’t his type. And at the moment, she was a very effective barrier to his getting what he wanted most in the world.

He and Max reached the end of the obstacle course. He waited for her to tell him what totally useless thing she wanted him to do next.

“Reward your dog,” she reminded him in the same detached, calm tone she’d used the first four times she’d had to tell him that.

“Yes. Right.” He gave the dog one of the treats Nolie had provided and patted him.

Nolie crossed the concrete floor to join them, frowning slightly.

“What?” She obviously thought he’d done something wrong. “I’m sorry I didn’t remember.”

“It’s not that.” She fondled Max’s ears, and the dog looked up at her with a totally besotted expression of adoration. “Do you understand why I’m having you do obedience exercises with Max?”

He shrugged. He could hardly tell her again that he thought the whole thing was useless.

He thought she suppressed a sigh.

“Let’s go out in the sun and take a break. There are some things you need to understand about the training.”

Max stuck to Nolie’s heels as if he were attached. He followed woman and dog outside.

An old-fashioned porch swing hung from the branch of an oak tree at the corner of the training center. Nolie sat and waited until he took the seat next to her. The swing creaked gently, swaying a little.

Nolie rubbed Max’s head. “Max has already gone through obedience training. Haven’t you, Maxie?”

He gave her a wide doggy grin.

“So the obedience training is for me.” He said the obvious. She probably thought he needed a little obedience training.

A smile touched her face, softening it. The eyes he’d thought a pale, nondescript blue the day before had been turned to aqua by the sweater she had on.

“Not exactly. The training is for both of you. It’s to allow the two of you to get used to working together. More importantly, to let you bond with Max.”