“It’s a long process.”
Gabe nodded. “Mistakes can slip through, but we try to minimize them. Are you okay with me staying at the cottage for a few more weeks?”
“You can stay for as long as you like.” She took a deep breath. “I wanted to talk to you about the cottage. I’m thinking about making Sapphire Bay my permanent home.”
Gabe seemed surprised. “I thought you’d go back to Italy.”
“I’m tired of living so far away from mom and my friends.” She wanted to add, ‘and you’ but she wasn’t sure how he would react.
“Brooklyn is a long way from Sapphire Bay.” Gabe didn’t seem happy with the thought of a long-distance relationship, either.
Natalie knew they could make their friendship work—it just depended on how much they were willing to compromise. “We both have jobs that can be based anywhere in the world. If you’d like to spend more time with me, I could live in New York City for a few months of the year. But I don’t want to live there all the time.”
“You don’t like big cities?”
“I never have. They’re too noisy and polluted.”
“What if I said I could live in Sapphire Bay. Not in the cottage, but in a place of my own. I’d have to fly back to New York City once or twice a month, but most of the time I’d be in Montana.”
Natalie’s heart pounded. “You’d do that?”
Gabe held her hand tighter. “I want to spend more time with you. I can’t do that from two thousand miles away.”
More tears stung her eyes. “I want to get to know you, too.”
“That’s good because I think I’m falling in love with you.”
All of Natalie’s doubts and worries melted away. She leaned forward and kissed Gabe gently on the lips. “You aren’t the only one who’s falling in love. Do you think Sherlock will be happy in Sapphire Bay?”
“He’d be happy wherever we lived, but Sapphire Bay is special. He’s found his home, and so have I.”
Natalie’s heart was bursting with joy. From desperately wanting to leave Sapphire Bay as a teenager, her life had come full circle—and she couldn’t have been happier.
Two days later, Brooke stood in the doorway of Natalie’s cottage with a bunch of flowers in her hand. “Welcome home!”
Natalie smiled. “Come in. How did you know we were back?”
“Mabel. She said you were in the general store yesterday buying groceries. How was your sightseeing trip?”
Before they’d left, she’d told Brooke she was going on a road trip with Gabe and Caleb. If she stretched the facts, it could almost be called the truth. Except for a stalker, a literary agent who’d scared the living daylights out of her and falling in love with her neighbor.
Natalie filled a vase with water. “We had a great time driving around the lake. The flowers are lovely. Are they from your garden?”
“They are. I might be terrible at housework, but I love pottering in the garden. If you need any cuttings, let me know.” Brooke sat on one of Natalie’s kitchen stools. “Don’t keep me in suspense. How did it feel to spend lots of time with a New York Times bestselling author?”
“It was no different than spending time with Caleb. They’re both nice people.”
“Nice?” Brooke’s eyebrows rose. “Caleb might be nice, but Gabe is super sexy. Have you read his books?”
Natalie had practically lived and breathed his books for the last few weeks. She’d read them so often, that if Brooke asked her what was on page 109 of his first novel, she could have repeated it word for word.
“I’ve read them. They’re great.”
“Hmm. Anyone who’s sat beside Gabe Lanigan for seven days and read his books wouldn’t say he was nice. What are you hiding?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Natalie couldn’t hold back a smile.
“I knew it. You like him, don’t you?”
“Yes, I like him. Gabe’s different from anyone else I’ve met.”
Brooke smiled. “That’s because he’s swoon-a-licious.”
Natalie laughed. “He’d go beet red if he heard you say that.”
“He’s a writer. He’d appreciate the effort it took to come up with such an amazing word.”
“While we’re talking about amazing words, I’ll make us a drink. Would you like a cup of coffee or peppermint tea?”
“Tea, please.” Brooke opened the bag she’d slung over her shoulder. “And because I’m such a good friend, I also brought shortbread cream cookies for us.”
Natalie had tasted Brooke’s cookies before and they were yummy. “What have I done to deserve a friend like you?”
“We were both lucky we met each other. So, tell me what you were really doing with Caleb.”
Natalie cleared her throat. She hated lying to anyone, let alone her friends. “We were sightseeing.”
“I don’t believe you. Mabel said a man has been asking questions about you and Gabe. You don’t think it’s the same person who broke into the cottage, do you?”
“I wouldn’t think so. Did Mabel say what he looked like?”
“No, but it seems like too big a coincidence.”
Natalie wasn’t sure what to say to Brooke. With Leith safely locked away, there wasn’t much that could go wrong. No judge or jury would release him. Not after everything he’d done.
“Maybe it was a detective or it could have been Gabe’s literary agent. He visited Gabe while we were at Caleb’s house.”
Brooke frowned. “They would have told Mabel who they were. Did anyone follow you around Flathead Lake?”
Natalie sighed. It was time to tell her everything. If anyone could understand why she’d been so secretive, it would be Brooke. “I have a confession to make. We didn’t go on a road trip. We’ve been staying at Caleb’s house.”
Brooke took the mug of tea that Natalie gave her. “But he lives in the middle of a forest. You wouldn’t see much of Flathead Lake from there.”
“We weren’t there to see the lake. Someone has been stalking Gabe. When my cottage was broken into, Gabe and Caleb thought mom and I would be safer somewhere else.”
“That makes sense, but it’s terrible that someone’s stalking Gabe. Is everyone okay?”
“We’re fine. Mom made it back to Indianapolis, Caleb is busy catching up on the work he didn’t get done, and Gabe’s life is almost back to normal.”
“What about the stalker?”
“He’s been arrested.”
“Thank goodness for that.” Brooke frowned. “Was the stalker the reason Gabe moved to Sapphire Bay?”
Natalie nodded. “He needed to go somewhere he couldn’t be found. Except it didn’t work out that way.”
“With the stalker locked away, will Gabe go back to Brooklyn?”
Natalie grinned. “He’s staying in Sapphire Bay. Once everything has settled down, he’ll buy his own home.”
“Wow. That’s quite a change for someone who’s lived his entire life in a big city.”
A sliver of unease crept under Natalie’s skin. “I know. I hope he’s happy here.”
“I’m sure he will be. Look at Caleb and me. Neither of us would go back to our old lives.”
Natalie hoped with all her heart that Brooke was right. “Tell me what happened with the bakery. Have you bought it, yet?”
Brooke grinned. “After the bank approved my loan, I made the owners a cash offer. It took a few days of negotiation, but we got there in the end. You’re now looking at the proud owner of the only confectionery store in Sapphire Bay.”
“That’s wonderful!” Natalie jumped out of her chair and gave her friend a hug. “I knew it would work out for you. When do you take over the building?”
“Next Friday. The owners have agreed to leave all the furniture and appliances in the store.”
“Will that make it easier for you?”
Brooke opened the container of cookies. “It will make a huge difference. I should be able to make my candy from t
he store’s kitchen in a couple of weeks.”
Natalie sighed. “I’m so happy for you.”
“So am I. Who would have thought we’d both find what we were looking for in Sapphire Bay?”
Natalie bit into one of Brooke’s cookies. Falling in love had been the last thing on her mind. She just hoped Gabe loved Sapphire Bay enough to stay.
Gabe held Natalie’s hand as they walked along the rocky shore of the lake. He took a deep breath and wondered what Sapphire Bay would look like as summer turned to fall, and then winter and spring.
“It’s so peaceful.” Natalie bent down and picked up a pale blue stone.
“Is that another one for your collection?”
Natalie smiled. “The jar of stones is half full now. Mom’s going to love them. They’ll remind her of the lake.”
“Do you think she’ll move back here?”
“Maybe. She has a lot of friends in this area of Montana.”
Sherlock ran ahead of them, zig-zagging through the water like a mini torpedo.
Gabe was glad to be here, to try to put the past behind him. But even though Chapman was behind bars, he couldn’t shake the feeling they’d missed something. Finding his stalker after a traffic violation seemed too easy. Chapman had been careful about not leaving any evidence of his identity. It was almost an anticlimax to know he wouldn’t be harassing Gabe again.
He looked at Natalie and sighed. With her dark hair falling around her shoulders and a pale green dress flowing down to her ankles, she could have been a mermaid washed onto the shore.
“Have you looked at the spreadsheet we made about Chapman?”
Natalie shook her head. “Not recently. Why?”
“I’m worried we’ve overlooked something.”
“Chapman confessed to stalking you.”
“But he said he knew nothing about the warehouse. Whoever recreated the scene in my book took a long time to set everything in place. If Chapman didn't do it, then who did?”
“His fingerprints were there.”
“So were a lot of others.” Gabe stepped over a fallen branch. “Maybe I’m overthinking everything.”
Natalie stopped walking. “We could study the timeline again. And if you’re still worried about Chapman, you should call your friend in the NYPD. He might have uncovered more information about Chapman or the warehouse.”
“You don’t think I’m wasting everyone’s time?”
“You were a detective in the NYPD. Trusting your instincts is as important to you as breathing. After being stalked for more than six months, no one is going to worry about reviewing the evidence.”
Gabe swallowed the knot of emotion in his throat. Natalie would always have his back, always have his best interests at heart. Renting her grandparents’ cottage was the best thing he’d ever done.
His cell phone rang. It was Detective Jameson from the Polson Police Department. “Hi, Russell. I was just talking about Chapman.”
“So was I. It seems Leith Chapman isn’t the only person of interest in your case. The NYPD traced the IP address of the emails that were sent to your agent. They didn’t come from Chapman’s computer.”
“Where did they come from?”
“An Internet café in Queens.”
Gabe frowned. “As in New York City?”
“That’s right. The store's surveillance camera doesn’t show him there at the time they were sent. Can you come to the police station this afternoon? If you can identify any of the people in the video, it will make our jobs a lot easier.”
Gabe checked the time. “I can be there in about forty minutes.”
“Great. I’ll see you when you arrive.”
He ended the call and turned to Natalie. “Russell wants me to drive to Polson. He has some video from a security camera he wants me to look at. Do you want to come?”
Natalie shook her head. “I’ve got to work on my second painting.”
“Are you sure? I could be gone for a couple of hours.”
“I can get a lot of painting done in that time.” Natalie leaned forward and kissed him. “You’ll be okay.”
Gabe wrapped his arms around her waist. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”
“You’ll have to get used to leaving me on my own sooner or later.”
“I’m voting for the latter option.”
Natalie smiled. “What if I make a cheesecake for dessert? Would that make you feel happier about leaving me at the cottage?”
He looked into her eyes. “Do you promise not to go anywhere without calling me first?”
“I promise.”
“If I’m going to be longer than two hours, I’ll call you.”
“Okay.” Natalie ran her hands down the front of his shirt.
“I’m serious,” he growled.
“I know you are. That’s why I love you. Go to your meeting with Detective Jameson. I’ll be here when you get back.” Natalie held onto his hand and pulled him toward the cottage. “Come on. I’ll wave goodbye to you.”
Gabe whistled to Sherlock.
The big German Shepherd sprinted toward him.
“Stay with Natalie.”
Sherlock’s head tilted sideways. His front paw patted the ground and he gave an excited bark.
“It’s all right,” Natalie said with a smile. “Let him go with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. He’ll enjoy the ride in your truck.”
Gabe looked down at his dog. “It’s your lucky day. You’re coming with me.”
Sherlock barked, then grinned as if he’d just been given a big, juicy bone.
Gabe wished he could get as excited about the trip to Polson. Whoever had sent the emails must be working with Chapman. And as long as they were still in New York City, everyone would sleep easy tonight.
Chapter 14
Natalie added a touch of yellow paint to her canvas. She’d painted other portraits, but this one was by far her best. She smiled as she stood back and admired the scene.
A few days after she’d arrived, she’d taken a photo of Gabe and Sherlock by the lake. That photo had become the basis for the painting.
Over the last few weeks, she’d learned more about Gabe than he probably realized. Those impressions allowed her to add layers of emotion to the canvas, to celebrate the man and dog who’d spent most of their lives protecting people. She hoped she’d captured Gabe’s creativity, his grief at losing the woman he loved and the joy that Sherlock brought to his life. His family, his friends, and his work as a writer all added another dimension to the man she loved.
Her painting wasn’t as technically complicated as the landscape she’d finished, but it was still difficult. Painting a portrait was like looking into someone’s soul. As an artist, you balanced what you saw with what you found. Sometimes what you were looking for was hidden beneath a lifetime of experiences that needed to be unraveled. And sometimes, it was there, right in front of you, waiting to be discovered.
She picked up an old rag and wiped her brush. It was time for a break. She needed to stretch, grab a drink, and see if she had any of Brooke’s cookies left.
As she walked into the living room, Natalie glanced at the clock. If the meeting with Detective Jameson had lasted as long as Gabe intended, he should be getting ready to leave Polson.
She checked her cell phone, then headed toward the kitchen. After their walk, Gabe still wasn’t happy about leaving her alone. She understood why he felt that way, but he needed to realize she could look after herself. Reluctantly, he’d driven to Polson, calling her as soon as he arrived at the police station.
A knock on her back door made her jump. Her gaze shot to the deadbolt. No one would be able to get inside unless she opened the door.
“Ms. Armstrong? It’s Special Agent Gareth McDonald from the FBI. I have a few questions I’d like to ask you about Leith Chapman.”
Natalie frowned. “No one told me the FBI was involved in the case.”
“Until
two days ago, we had a minor role to play. But there has been a significant development in the case.”
She raced to the living room and grabbed her cell phone. On the way back to the kitchen she tapped out a message to Gabe.
“Ms. Armstrong? Are you still there?”
She bit her bottom lip, hoping Gabe saw the message and replied. “You need to show me some identification.”
“I’ll hold my badge against the window.”
Natalie looked at her cell phone again. Still no reply. She sent a quick message to Caleb, then peered at the badge pressed against the glass. It seemed real but, for all she knew, it could be a fake.
“I understand your reluctance to unlock the door. Would it help if I gave you the phone number of the special agent in charge of our field office? He could verify my identity.”
“That would be great, thank you.”
Special Agent McDonald rattled off a number. The man she spoke to confirmed that the special agent at her door worked for the FBI. After she ended the call, she checked her messages. Still nothing from Gabe or Caleb.
“Are you able to come back later when Gabe Lanigan is here?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. If you’re worried about Mr. Lanigan not knowing what’s happening, Detective Jameson is showing him the new evidence.”
That made sense. Gabe wouldn’t deliberately leave her text unanswered, especially when she was on her own. “Just a minute.”
Natalie made sure the special agent had moved away from the window before slipping a small knife into her pocket. She didn’t care if he was with the FBI or the King of Siam. She needed to protect herself and, without a gun, a knife was the next best thing.
She opened the door and held out her hand. “I’m Natalie Armstrong.”
The FBI agent’s eyebrows drew together. “You’re younger than I thought you’d be.”
She had no idea what difference that made. “What do you mean?”
“When I read you were a world-renowned artist, I thought you’d be older.”
“I had some lucky breaks.” Natalie moved toward the kitchen counter, keeping as much distance between the two of them as she could. Special Agent McDonald was about ten years older than her. Time hadn’t been kind to his five-foot-eight, overweight body.
Falling For You (Sapphire Bay Book 1) Page 16