They didn’t stay in Caleb’s house for long. As one of the troopers wrapped Eric’s ankle in ice, he told them about seeing Natalie.

When he’d arrived, no one was in the house. He’d wandered around the property, looking for them. When he saw a woman standing on the edge of the forest, he’d decided to say hello. Unfortunately, Natalie had disappeared faster than Eric could walk to her.

He’d followed her into the forest, but turned back, worried he’d get lost. On the way out, he’d twisted his ankle. Using an old branch, he’d hobbled from the trees and was happy to see their vehicles.

With Eric being looked after, Caleb drove Gabe and Trooper Sanderson to the edge of the forest.

As Caleb stepped out of the truck, Gabe grabbed two packs off the back seat and handed one to his friend.

“Here. Take this.”

Caleb hauled his backpack over his shoulder. “Natalie should be at the cave by now.”

“If we’re lucky,” Gabe muttered. They still had another forty minutes of hiking ahead of them. Natalie had only been to the cave once. If she’d missed the path that took her straight there, she could be anywhere.

“Is she used to hiking?” Sanderson matched their steps stride for stride.

Gabe slowed as they reached the shelter they’d seen on their last hike. “She enjoys it but sticks to designated trails.” He looked at Caleb. “Someone’s been here in the last few days.”

Caleb studied the campfire. “Do you think it was Chapman?”

“Possibly. If he can recreate an elaborate hoax in a warehouse, he can build a simple fire.”

Gabe touched the charred wood. It was stone cold—too cold to have been used in the last twelve hours. “If it was him, he was closer than we thought. Let’s keep moving.”

They traveled in silence. The slap of the branches and the snapping of twigs was the only sound in the forest.

Gabe peered through the trees. “Is it me or is it unusually quiet?”

Sanderson frowned. “It gets like this before a thunderstorm.”

“In the middle of summer?”

“They’re dry thunderstorms. They produce huge amounts of lightning and are the main cause of wildfires.”

“That’s the last thing we need.” Caleb veered right and they began their climb up the side of the mountain. By the time they stood above the tree line, each of them was out of breath.

“It’s not far to the cave,” Caleb said to Sanderson. “Do you want to stop for a few minutes?”

She shook her head. “No. Keep going. The sooner we find your friend, the sooner we can get off the mountain.”

Gabe stared at the brooding mass of black clouds on the horizon. Sherlock was terrified of storms. Since Michelle had died, he’d hidden under Gabe’s bed whenever he heard thunder. If the storm arrived and Sherlock panicked, he could hurt Natalie and himself.

The next few minutes passed quickly. They moved on autopilot, one foot in front of the other, steadily climbing higher.

Gabe paused when he saw the ledge where Natalie had touched his face. He’d wanted to tell her he cared about her, that she was the most important person in his life. But he hadn’t, and his silence weighed heavily on his heart.

Caleb scrambled over the last ledge. “Natalie? Are you in there?”

Sherlock’s excited bark echoed against the walls of the cave. The big German Shepherd rushed outside, almost knocking Caleb over in his rush to get to Gabe.

“Hi, boy.” Gabe wrapped his arms around his dog, hugging him close. “It’s good to see you.” His heart raced when Natalie appeared at the cave entrance.

Her relieved smile turned to confusion. “You brought someone from the highway patrol?”

Sanderson held out her hand. “I’m Moira. We’re glad you’re okay.”

“Did you arrest the person at the house?”

“The person you saw was Gabe’s literary agent,” Caleb explained. “He came to see if Gabe was all right. You gave us a fright.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Natalie said. “Sherlock wanted to go outside, and I didn’t think we’d be gone that long. When I saw the SUV, I thought Chapman had been released. I came here instead of going back to the house.”

“Are you okay?” Gabe asked. All he wanted was to wrap her in his arms, but Sherlock, Trooper Sanderson, and Caleb were standing in front of him.

Natalie’s worried blue eyes connected with his. “I’m fine, but Sherlock has been pacing backward and forward.”

“He doesn’t like storms.” Gabe was so focused on Natalie that he barely heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. But Sherlock did. His whole body tensed and a low whimper tore through his throat.

Gabe patted his dog’s back. “We should leave.”

Natalie spun around. “I’ll get my backpack.”

While she was in the cave, Caleb spoke to Moira. “Do you want to take the lead?”

She nodded and stepped around Gabe. “I’m guessing you’d like to walk beside Natalie?”

He didn’t know when his feelings had become so obvious, but he wasn’t arguing.

Caleb followed Moira. “We’ll start walking. Do you want me to take Sherlock?”

Gabe shook his head. “He’s better with me.”

“Don’t be too long.”

As soon as Natalie returned, she frowned. “Where did everyone go?”

“They just left.” Gabe held out his hand. “I’ll take your bag.”

“But you’ve already got yours.”

“I can wear yours as a front pack.” He held onto the straps, but she didn’t let go.

“I’m sorry I left the house.”

His heart beat out of control. He closed his eyes, trying to block the images flooding his mind. Coming to terms with Michelle’s death had nearly destroyed him. As difficult as it was, he couldn’t let the past overshadow what had happened today. Natalie and Sherlock weren’t injured, and no one would be going home in a body bag.

“Gabe? Are you all right?”

He cleared his throat and forced himself to speak. “Sherlock must have sensed the thunderstorm. That’s probably why he didn’t want to go outside on his own.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I’m glad you’re okay.”

A soft blush filled her cheeks. “Thank you for finding me. I wasn’t looking forward to—”

Gabe stepped forward and kissed her. Except it wasn’t the gentle kiss he’d planned. As soon as their lips touched, heat exploded all around him. With Natalie’s arms wrapped around his shoulders and her mouth opening under his, any thought of leaving the mountain disappeared.

He hauled her against his chest, ignoring the thump of her backpack as it hit the ground. He savored the taste and feel of her in his arms, the way Natalie’s body molded to his.

Her soft moan tore at the last of Gabe’s defenses. She was alive and unharmed. He loved this woman like no other. Regardless of what happened over the next few weeks, he wanted her in his life, to be part of something neither of them had expected.

Sherlock barked and they both froze.

“What just happened?” she whispered against his lips.

Gabe leaned his forehead on hers. “I think it’s called a kiss, but my brain isn’t working too well.”

Sherlock whined as thunder rumbled in the distance.

Natalie sighed and stepped away. “We need to get Sherlock off the mountain.”

“And then?”

Her blush gave him the answer he needed.

He kissed her and smiled. “Let’s go.”

Sherlock didn’t need to be told twice. As they scrambled off the rocky ledge, he barked, urging them to move faster.

With his hand wrapped around Natalie’s, Gabe made his way down the mountain. When he’d driven into Sapphire Bay all those months ago, he never thought he’d find the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But it had happened, and he knew exactly what he was going to do about it.

Later that night, Natalie and Gabe waved goodbye to Eric at Polson airport. The thunderstorm that everyone was expecting had never arrived—which was fortunate for Gabe’s agent. The visit to Caleb’s home had been a stopover on his way to Calgary for a conference. If the storm had touched down in Polson, there was a high chance his flight would have been canceled.

On their way to the airport, Eric talked about Gabe’s publishing schedule. After the conference, he was returning to Manhattan and he wanted Gabe with him.

While Natalie listened to what they were planning, she became more and more worried. She wasn’t sure how she felt about long-distance relationships, or even what kind of a relationship she had with Gabe.

“What are you thinking about?” Gabe asked.

She watched the lights from another plane taxi down the runway. “I was thinking about us.”

When he didn’t say anything, she turned and looked at him. His gaze was steady and sure, something she was far from feeling.

He looked around the departure area. “Why don’t we get a coffee? We can find somewhere quiet to talk before we go back to Caleb’s house.”

Natalie nodded and walked beside him to the nearest café.

“What would you like?”

“I can get our drinks.”

His eyebrows rose. “What would you like?”

Natalie sighed. “Fine. A cappuccino would be great.”

Gabe returned with their drinks and two chocolate-covered pastries. “Where would you like to sit?”

She headed toward a table on the far side of the dining area. Apart from a few people grabbing a late dinner, the tables were empty. Natalie wasn’t sure how their discussion would end, so it was just as well there weren’t a lot of people around them.

Gabe placed their tray on the table and sat beside her. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Sipping her drink wouldn’t start the conversation, but she didn’t know where to begin. “Are you looking forward to going home?”

“I’m looking forward to getting back to a normal life.” Gabe’s gray eyes never left her face. “I need to tell you something.”

Natalie had never seen Gabe look so serious or uncomfortable. Her heart sank. “What is it?”

“It’s about today. Finding you in the cave brought back a lot of memories—things I thought I’d come to terms with.” He took a deep breath. “I want to tell you this so that you understand me a little better. The reason I was upset was because Michelle died in Central Park at a place called The Ravine. It’s supposed to be a sanctuary away from the noise of the city, but her killer turned it into a trap.”

“Oh, Gabe. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

He shook his head. “I’m okay now. I just need you to know that sometimes the memories of that night hit me hard.”

“Is Michelle’s death the reason Sherlock doesn’t like thunder?”

His slow nod tore at her heart. “There was a storm the night Michelle died. Before she was killed, she radioed in to say Sherlock had been shot. When the responding units arrived, he was lying across Michelle’s chest, trying to protect her.”

Hot tears filled Natalie’s eyes. “Did he ever go back to the K-9 unit?”

“No. He was too traumatized by what happened.”

Natalie held onto Gabe’s hand. “I don’t know what to say, except thank you. It must have been hard being on the mountain.”

“It would have been worse if we’d lost you. Which is why I’m not going back to Brooklyn. Not yet, anyway.”

“But your agent—”

“Eric will have to make do with the phone and the Internet. I still have to write the last chapter of my book, anyway.”

“And after that?”

“It will take a couple of weeks to do the edits before Eric sees the manuscript. Once he’s read it, I’ll change anything he finds before it’s sent to the publishing house. They’ll suggest more edits before it’s ready for the next stage.”

“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 the 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.