“Do you get many people living rough out here?” Gabe asked.
“I’m sure there are, but I haven’t seen them.”
Natalie didn’t say anything. She studied the trees around them, scowling into the deep, dark shadows. “We should keep moving.”
Gabe backed out of the shelter. “You’re right. We’ll mark this on our map and find the cave.”
Sherlock stood patiently beside Natalie, watching what was happening with an intensity that Gabe hadn’t seen in a long time. As soon as they moved away from the shelter, Sherlock visibly relaxed.
Thirty minutes later, they were walking along a rocky ledge, searching for the cave.
Natalie rested against the cliff face. “The view from here is incredible.”
Gabe looked across the rugged landscape. Below them, pine, spruce, and oak trees formed a blanket of green for as far as he could see. A river wound its way through the forest, heading west to Flathead Lake.
Natalie pulled out her phone and started taking photos. She turned to Gabe and grinned. “Smile!”
As soon as she’d taken the photo, he replaced his smile with a frown. “Watch where you’re stepping. The ledge is narrow.”
She looked down at her feet and moved closer to Sherlock. “What would I do without you?”
Gabe’s frown deepened. “You’d be working in your cottage, not worried about a stalker.”
Natalie tilted her head to one side. She stepped toward him, raised her hand and gently cupped his jaw. “But then I wouldn’t have met you or Sherlock.”
Gabe’s heart pounded. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. Since Michelle had died, he’d locked his heart away, too scared to let anyone close. Natalie had changed him in ways that even he didn’t understand.
Her hand left his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. We’d better see where Caleb has gone.”
Gabe reached for her hand. “It’s not what you think. I’m—”
“Found it!” Caleb’s voice cut through the emotion clogging Gabe’s throat.
Without waiting for him, Natalie rushed along the trail, her backpack bouncing against her jacket.
Gabe touched his jaw and tried to remember why a relationship between them wouldn’t work. But all he could think about was the softness of Natalie’s skin and the way his heart was pounding.
Sherlock appeared from farther up the trail.
Gabe adjusted his backpack and kept walking. Regardless of what Natalie thought about him, they were here for a reason. And for now, that reason had absolutely nothing to do with happily ever after.
Chapter 11
The following afternoon, the stairs behind Natalie creaked. “You don’t have to tiptoe around me,” she said to Gabe. “I’m not going to shush you if you make a noise.”
“How did you know it was me?”
She turned around and smiled. “Caleb thumps up the stairs and Sherlock’s nails click on the wood.”
Gabe looked at his bare feet. “I’m glad you didn’t confuse me with Sherlock.”
“You have lovely feet.” Natalie laughed. “Unless you turn into a hobbit, your nails will never click on the wood.” She looked across the landing at Sherlock. With his favorite blanket in Gabe’s office, he’d decided the sofa would make a great sleeping spot. “Sherlock has been up here with me for most of the morning.”
Gabe frowned. “If he becomes a nuisance, let me know.”
“He could never annoy me. He’s a wonderful dog.” She looked at the time and frowned. “You’re usually still writing. Are you finishing early today?”
“I’m having a break. Caleb just received another email from the NYPD. They’ve found Chapman’s stepbrother.”
Natalie’s hand shook as she placed her brush on a plate. “What did he say about Leith?”
“Not a lot. He hasn’t seen him since he was released from prison.”
“Do the police believe him?”
“I don’t know but, if it were me, I’d be looking at any phone calls that were made from his apartment.”
She wiped her hands on an old rag and studied Gabe. “How do you feel about the police finding Leith’s stepbrother?”
“I’m not as excited as I thought I’d be. There are still too many unanswered questions.”
“Has Leith contacted your literary agent again?”
Gabe shook his head. “He hasn’t heard from him since he sent the photos of us at the Cherry Festival.”
Even though it hadn’t been that long ago, their day in Polson seemed like a distant memory. Natalie rubbed her forehead, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. “Maybe Leith finally got the message and decided to leave you alone.”
“We shouldn’t count on that happening.”
Natalie didn’t want to count on anything or anyone. But that hadn’t stopped her from falling in love with Gabe. “What’s next?”
A blush streaked along Gabe’s jaw. “Do you mean with Leith Chapman?”
Natalie didn’t know what else…oh. He was worried about what had happened yesterday. “Yes, I meant Leith.” She was proud of the way her voice didn’t tremble. Last night she’d had a stern talk to herself. She couldn’t assume Gabe wanted to be anything other than friends. In another couple of months she’d be in Italy, preparing for her exhibition, and he would be in Brooklyn.
Gabe cleared his throat. “We can’t do much about Leith or his stepbrother. The best we can do is keep ourselves safe.”
“Something should have happened by now.” Natalie didn’t need to explain what she was talking about. Last night, they’d studied the spreadsheet Caleb had created. In Gabe’s novel, Zac Connelly was closing in on the bad guys. He was circling their headquarters, making life difficult for anyone who knew them.
In real life, Leith Chapman had stopped harassing them. It didn’t make sense. Unless he’d made the shelter in the forest. But even that was grasping at straws. They’d checked the hunting season schedule for different animals, but none of them matched the end of July. Someone could have been illegally hunting, but it would have been an even bigger coincidence to find their shelter so close to Caleb’s home.
Gabe crossed his arms. “I keep telling myself we should be thankful that nothing else has happened. But after six months of being harassed, I’m tired of waiting for Chapman to do something.” He frowned at Sherlock, then lifted his troubled gaze to Natalie. “Can we talk about yesterday?”
She’d stayed awake for most of the night, replaying what had happened on the mountain. The last thing she wanted was to complicate Gabe’s life. And starting a relationship with her was something he didn’t need.
After taking a deep breath, she looked at Gabe. “I know I made you feel uncomfortable and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” She didn’t expect him to smile.
“Are you always so sure about what I’m going to say?”
“It was a lucky guess.”
“A wrong guess.”
Natalie was confused. “I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable?”
“No, I’ve never felt uncomfortable around you.” Gabe stepped closer. “When we’re together I feel like nothing is impossible.”
She could have drowned in the longing in his eyes. For a woman who was determined to begin a new life, to find happiness, his words should have made her feel like the luckiest person alive. But she was terrified.
Terrified of making a mistake, of reading too much into the gentleness on his face, the smile that always made her stomach twist in knots.
Gabe’s fingertips brushed her jaw. “I never thought I’d care about anyone again, but I was wrong. When this is over, would you like to go on a date with me?”
“A date?”
“You know…where two people go to the movies or out to dinner. Or we could do something else. There are plenty of river rafting tours we could join or there’s a rock climbing wall beside the community center that’s challenging.”
�
�I’ve never been rock climbing.”
“We could do that.”
“No. I mean I don’t want to go rock climbing.” Natalie’s brain had gone to mush and nothing was making sense. “I thought you didn’t want to date anyone?”
Gabe’s smile disappeared. “Neither did I. But sometimes life has a funny way of showing you what’s important. And you are important.”
For someone who was falling in love with him, Natalie was suddenly very nervous. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if how you’re feeling is a reaction to being under a lot of stress? What if—”
“I’m not asking you to marry me, Natalie.” Gabe’s soft voice calmed her in a way that nothing else could have. “If we don’t enjoy spending time together after this has finished, we don’t need to see each other again.”
“Do you know how depressing that sounds?”
Gabe smiled. “Is that a yes to a date?”
Natalie kissed his cheek. “It’s a yes to a date that doesn’t involve a gun or a climbing wall.”
“I’ll have to be creative.”
She shook her head. “Just be yourself. That’s all I’ll ever need.”
Gabe picked up the stick Sherlock dropped at his feet. “Do you want me to throw this?”
Sherlock froze, his excited eyes never leaving Gabe’s face.
Fetch had always been one of their favorite games. Sherlock was quick, too. As soon as the stick left Gabe’s hand, the German Shepherd sprinted across the yard, snatched the piece of wood off the ground and sped back to Gabe.
“Good boy.”
Sherlock’s tail swished backward and forward, waiting for the next round of play time.
Gabe brought back his arm and flung the stick into the trees. If the stalker was stupid enough to stand on the edge of the clearing with an ex-police dog tearing toward him he wasn’t as intelligent as anyone thought.
Sherlock disappeared into the trees and Gabe sighed. The last two days had been hard on all of them. The long walks Sherlock loved were a thing of the past. They couldn’t afford to be caught too far from the house. So, regardless of his dog’s sad brown eyes, they hadn’t ventured beyond the trees on the far side of the yard.
But there was good news. Despite what was happening, Natalie was making good progress on the canvas she’d brought with her. His manuscript was rolling along nicely and Caleb was pleased with the work he’d managed to finish. Even though they were making good use of the time away from Sapphire Bay, Gabe knew it couldn’t go on forever.
He looked at his watch, then back at the forest. Even with Sherlock’s curious streak, he should have returned by now.
The front door of the house banged opened and Caleb rushed outside. “They’ve found him!”
He stared at his friend. “Chapman?”
Caleb nodded. “Detective Jameson called. Chapman was pulled over in Polson for not stopping at a red light. As well as the driving infringement, they’ve charged him with two counts of breaking and entering.”
Gabe couldn’t believe the police had found him. “When did they take him into custody?”
“About an hour ago. There’s more news. You were right about the phone records. Leith and his stepbrother have been calling each other. The police are searching both of their apartments.”
Gabe’s initial spark of relief was replaced with caution.
“I thought you’d be happy the police have found him.”
“It’s too early to get excited. The breaking and entering will be classified as a misdemeanor. He could be out of prison in less than a year. The police will need more evidence if they’re going to charge him with stalking.” Gabe studied the trees around them, whistling for Sherlock when he still couldn’t see him.
“They’ll find the evidence they need.”
Gabe wasn’t so sure. Chapman had set up an elaborate hoax in the warehouse and stalked him for more than six months. Anyone who had invested that much time and energy into another person’s life wasn’t going to leave anything to chance.
“What does Jameson want us to do?” Gabe asked.
“Nothing for now.” Caleb looked across the front yard as Sherlock came bounding toward them.
“Where’s Natalie?” Gabe patted Sherlock’s head.
“In the backyard. I haven’t told her about Chapman.”
“Do you mind if I tell her?”
“Go ahead. I’ll keep Sherlock amused.”
Gabe handed Caleb the stick and walked around the side of the house. Whatever happened with Chapman was out of their control. The only thing they could do was wait.
Natalie pulled another handful of weeds out of the garden. The last layer of paint on her canvas needed time to dry and she needed something to do. Keeping busy was the best way of stopping her imagination from working overtime—especially where Gabe’s stalker was concerned. Thinking about Leith Chapman would only give her ulcers.
Caleb had offered to drive to Sapphire Bay and collect another canvas, but she was reluctant to say yes. There was only one other painting she wanted to finish, but she didn’t want anyone to see it.
She stretched her back and studied the patch of dirt she’d cleared. At some point, the garden had been well looked after. The shrubs dotted along the strip of garden weren’t too overgrown. A good prune would make all the difference. Three pale pink daisy bushes gave the yard a little color, and some pansies peeked through the weeds. She wasn’t much of a gardener, but anything had to be better than letting the dandelions and grass take over completely.
“Natalie?”
“Over here.” She smiled as Gabe came around the corner of the house. After nearly giving her a heart attack the other night, he’d switched tactics, making lots of noise whenever he came near her. “I heard Sherlock barking. He sounds happy.”
The early morning sunlight gleamed off Gabe’s wet hair. He wasn’t awake when she’d come outside, so she guessed he must have had a shower before letting Sherlock out for the day.
Gabe studied the garden. “You’ve done a lot of weeding.”
She threw another clump of weeds onto the pile beside her. “I thought I’d get an early start. In another couple of hours it will be too hot to be out here. Did you have a good night’s sleep?”
“About average.”
Gabe didn’t have to tell her ‘about average’ wasn’t enough. The black rings under his eyes were getting darker. They were both worried about Chapman and, right now, there wasn’t a lot they could do about it.
Natalie wiped a dribble of sweat off her face. “I haven’t seen Caleb since breakfast. Has he heard anything from the police or Fletcher Security?”
“The police have found Chapman.”
It took a few seconds for Gabe’s words to sink in. “They have? When?”
“Earlier this morning. Detective Jameson called Caleb a few minutes ago.”
“Has he been charged with anything?”
Gabe sighed. “As far as I’m aware he’s only been charged with running a red light and breaking and entering. The police are searching his apartment and his stepbrother’s. Hopefully, they’ll find enough evidence to charge him with stalking and whatever else they can throw at him.”
“So, Leith won’t be coming back to Sapphire Bay?”
“Not if the police can help it. It all depends on what they find in the Chapman brothers’ apartments.”
The bubble of excitement that had been growing inside of Natalie, popped. “I was hoping it was over.”
“So was I,” Gabe said quietly. “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder every time I go somewhere.”
Natalie touched his arm. She could only imagine what the last six months had been like. “Would you like a hug?”
The frown on Gabe’s face turned into a slow smile. “I won’t say no. But don’t tell Sherlock you offered to hug me. He likes his hugs, too. It would be just like him to abandon me and live with you.”
Natalie wrapped her arms around Gabe’s waist. “You won’t
have to worry about that. He loves you too much to stay with someone else. Besides, I’ve run out of doggie treats.”
Laughter rumbled through Gabe’s chest. “I’ll have to visit the general store. They sell the peanut butter cookies Sherlock loves.”
Natalie relaxed against Gabe. It felt so right to be close to him, to know they were there for each other. Over the last few weeks, they’d learned a lot about each other. At each step of the way, her admiration for who he was and what he had achieved grew stronger.
“Everything will get better,” she said as she stepped away.
“That’s what my agent said five months ago.”
“His timing was off, that’s all.” She wiped her hands on her jeans and looked around the yard. “I’ll miss Caleb’s home when we leave.”
Gabe seemed surprised. “I thought you’d be looking forward to seeing your cottage again.”
“It’s so peaceful here.”
“And safe.”
Natalie nodded. She wondered if he knew how close he’d come to understanding the real reason she liked being here. After two of her homes had been broken into, she’d given up thinking anywhere was safe. “When did you want to return to Sapphire Bay?”
“Whenever you’re ready is fine by me. Caleb will probably appreciate having his house to himself again.”
“He’s a good person. There aren’t many people who would share their home with us.”
Gabe nodded. “I don’t know what we would have done without him.”
The back door opened and Caleb stepped onto the deck. “We were just talking about you,” she yelled.
“I hope you were saying nice things.”
“Of course.” She smiled as Sherlock ran toward Gabe.
She’d miss Sherlock when he returned to Brooklyn. The big dog had watched over her as she’d painted, walked with her in the forest, and used his big brown eyes to plead for food as she’d cooked dinner.
“Has Gabe told you about Chapman?” Caleb asked.
Natalie pulled her gaze away from Sherlock. “He did. It’s good news.”
Caleb sighed. “You sound as excited as Gabe. Does this mean you aren’t ready to celebrate his arrest?”
Falling For You (Sapphire Bay Book 1) Page 13
