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?”

She forced a smile. “I’ll make you a promise. When Leith Chapman is found guilty of breaking and entering and stalking, I’ll buy you and Gabe dinner. Until then, I think we should wait and see what happens.”

Caleb’s cell phone beeped. He read the message and frowned. “Detective Jameson wants to meet with Gabe and me in Polson. They’ve found some photos of us in Chapman’s motel room. He wants us to look at them and give him an idea of when and where they were taken.”

Gabe looked at Natalie. “You should come, too.”

Caleb shook his head. “Jameson said she’ll be safer here. A couple of reporters have been asking questions about Natalie.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “Sherlock and I can look after each other.”

Gabe still looked worried. He turned to Caleb and asked, “Are you sure Leith Chapman is at the police station?”

“They’ve already charged him with breaking and entering. I guess that’s why they want us to look at the photos. If there’s enough evidence to charge him with stalking, they’ll do that, too.”

“I don’t like leaving Natalie here, even with Sherlock.”

Natalie knelt in front of Sherlock. “We’ll be fine, won’t we, boy?” She had a strong suspicion that Sherlock’s goofy grin had more to do with having his ears rubbed than looking after each other. “See…he agrees with me.”

Gabe scowled. “If anything happens, we’re at least forty-five minutes away.”

She scrambled to her feet. “I won’t leave the house. I’ll keep the satellite phone with me at all times and I’ll bake Caleb a chocolate cake as a thank you for looking after us.”

“Sounds good to me,” Caleb said. When Gabe remained silent, he pointed to his house. “I agree with Detective Jameson. Natalie’s safer here than in town. Look at my home. It looks as though Ma and Pa Kettle live here and not an international bestselling author and a world-renowned artist. Chapman is at the police station and Natalie’s mom and your agent are the only people who know you’re here. Nothing will happen.”

“I want your security system activated. If anyone arrives or leaves, we need to know about it.”

Natalie looked at Caleb.

“The security system hasn’t been off since you arrived. My phone will send me an alert if anyone breaks the infrared beams.”

She swung her gaze to Gabe. “Does that make you feel better?”

“Not much.”

“Well, it will have to do. Russell Jameson is waiting for you.”

After more grumbles, Gabe finally left with Caleb.

Natalie kept her gaze on the plume of dust long after the truck was out of sight. Apart from Sherlock, she was on her own. And despite what she’d said to Gabe, she was just as worried as he was.

Natalie took the flour and baking powder out of the pantry. Caleb didn’t have a lot of cocoa, but there was enough for what she’d need. When she got back to Sapphire Bay, she’d buy a shopping cart full of groceries and give them to him.

He had been so generous with his time and home that she didn’t know how she could ever repay him.

The satellite phone beeped. With the mixing bowl in her arms, she walked across to the dining table and smiled. Just as he’d promised, Gabe had texted her to let her know they’d arrived in Polson.

She checked the time. Depending on how many photos the police wanted them to go through, she might have another ninety minutes to finish the cake and make lunch for everyone. As long as the cake went into the oven in the next half hour, she’d be fine.

Sherlock padded across to the back door and scratched on the frame.

“Do you want to go outside?”

Sherlock’s brown eyes stared up at her.

“Okay, but only a quick trip.” She left the bowl on the dining table and unlocked the door. “I told your dad we wouldn’t leave the house.”

Sherlock ran outside. As soon as he stepped off the veranda, he turned and whined.

“You’ll be okay.” Her encouraging words didn’t seem to make any difference. Sherlock’s head swung from her to the trees. She couldn’t blame him for going stir crazy. Staying inside wasn’t her idea of fun either.

She tried again. “It’s okay, boy. Do your business then come inside.” She forced a smile, hoping Sherlock decided to make the most of his moment of freedom.

He didn’t move.

She looked at the mixing bowl, then back at Sherlock. With Chapman at the police station, the chance of anything happening was about as high as being attacked by a bear.

A couple of minutes outside wouldn’t hurt.

The infrared beam across the front door twinkled like a Christmas light. Gabe would already know she’d opened the door. What he wouldn’t realize was why she’d gone outside. Before he panicked, she sent him a quick text. She looked around the kitchen, turned off the oven, and peeked inside Caleb’s office.

Four monitors displayed what the external security cameras were seeing. There were no vehicles or people in the driveway, the barn was clear, and the only activity along the side of the house was two geese waddling across the grass.

Caleb’s home had every high-tech gadget known to mankind and, just for once, she wished she didn’t feel like a goldfish in a plastic bowl.

Sherlock barked. She ran out of the office, grabbed her backpack and closed the door. As soon as he saw her, Sherlock ran toward the trees, his black coat gleaming in the sun.

Taking a deep breath, Natalie followed him. It was another hot, airless day—the kind where your lungs burned as if you were living inside a furnace. By the time she was halfway across the yard, sweat was trickling down her spine.

She gave Sherlock a few minutes before calling him back. When he didn’t appear, she kept walking. He was probably chasing a rabbit or chewing on a stick. In all the time she’d known him, he never went too far from where either her or Gabe were standing.

After the unbearable heat in the open pasture, it was a relief to step under the shade of the trees. In a lot of ways, Caleb’s property was similar to the land around her cottage. It had the same sense of timeless energy, the same peaceful, pine-scented landscape that she’d longed for when she lived in Europe. But unlike her property, the closest lake to Caleb’s home was a two-hour hike away.

She stood still, listening to the sounds around her. “Sherlock! Come!” She waited a heartbeat before repeating her command. Somewhere ahead of her a branch snapped.

“Sherlock! Come!” Still no answer. Glancing over her shoulder, she peered through the forest. Caleb’s home was hidden behind the trees. If Gabe knew she was here, he wouldn’t be impressed. And he’d be even less impressed with Sherlock. The big German Shepherd enjoyed exploring, but he knew better than to stay away when he was called.

Walking farther into the trees wasn’t what she’d had in mind when she left the house, but leaving Sherlock out here wasn’t going to happen, either. “Sherlock!”

Another rustle of leaves had her heading slightly to the left. Sherlock ran toward her. When he skidded to a stop, his tail was wagging so hard that it was a wonder his bottom didn’t fly off his body.

“Where have you been?”

He tilted his head toward the sky and barked.

“Well, wherever you’ve been we need to go home.”

Instead of following her, Sherlock’s ears pricked up.

“Come, boy.” Natalie patted the side of her leg. It was so unlike Sherlock not to move that she searched the area around them. Something must be worrying him.

She knelt on the ground and looked into Sherlock’s eyes. “Show me.” Gabe used that command when he wanted to know what Sherlock had buried or seen. She didn’t know if it would work, but anything was worth a try.

Sherlock turned around and moved slowly through the trees.

Keeping two steps behind him, Natalie followed, making as little noise as possible. Sherlock stopped when he saw the shelter they’d found the other day.

With her heart racing, Natalie crept closer. No one was inside, but a small circle of blackened stones and charred wood was about five feet from the entrance. It wasn’t there the other day. Reaching out, she touched the wood. It was stone cold. Whoever had lit the fire hadn’t been here last night.

Gabe and Caleb would want to know if someone had been close to the house.

Slipping her backpack from her shoulders, she opened a pocket before realizing she’d left the satellite phone on the dining table. She shook her head, annoyed that she hadn’t remembered it.

After studying the trees around her, Natalie took out her cell phone and snapped a picture of the campfire. At least she’d have something to show Gabe when he returned.

“We’d better go home,” she said quietly to Sherlock. “I don’t want to be here if whoever built this comes back.”

Natalie kept close to the trees, taking whatever protection the forest could give them. If Chapman had lit the fire, his arrest this morning meant he wouldn’t be back. At least that was one thing she didn’t have to worry about.

But what if Chapman hadn’t been here? What if everyone had ruled out another person who was the stalker?

Before they’d moved to Caleb’s home, only three people knew they were in Sapphire Bay—her mom, a detective in the NYPD, and Gabe’s literary agent. Since then, that number had grown. All it took was one person to say something they shouldn’t and the whole world would know where they were.

Sherlock froze.

Natalie studied his raised tail and alert ears. “What is it boy?” Crouching low, she peered through the last few feet of forest. From this angle, the only view she had of the house was half-hidden behind the trees.

With Sherlock beside her, she crept forward, carefully making her way toward the edge of the forest.

Her hand tightened on Sherlock’s back. A white SUV had parked in front of the house. A whole lot of possibilities rushed through her mind—and not one of them was good.

She bit her bottom lip and gave Sherlock a quick hug. “It’s time for plan B,” she whispered. “Let’s go.”