Falling For You (Sapphire Bay Book 1) Read online

  “Someone is interested in buying the cottage. They’ve approached our neighbors as well.”

  “Why would they want…” Natalie frowned. “Don’t tell me they want to build a resort or an apartment complex?”

  “Nearly. A retirement village. Our lawyer emailed me the plans. It would have croquet lawns, an indoor pool, restaurants, and an events center.”

  “You’re not seriously considering it, are you?”

  Kathleen sat beside Natalie. “It’s not only my decision to make. Your grandma and granddad left the cottage to both of us.” She stared across the back yard. “It would be a huge boost for the local economy.”

  “But what about all the things that have happened here? The cottage is more than a house, it’s part of who we are.”

  “Those memories will still be with us, regardless of where we live. The money they’re offering is four times what we would get on the open market.”

  “Money isn’t everything.”

  Kathleen nodded. “You’re right. But it does help. I’ll forward the plans to you so that you can see what the developers want to do.” She stood and smiled. “I’ll be back soon with your tea.”

  “Mom?”

  Kathleen looked over her shoulder.

  “Do you want to sell the cottage?”

  “I’ll tell you after you’re ready to share your final decision. The lawyer needs an answer by the end of next week.”

  Natalie leaned against the wooden post. Why did life have to be so complicated?

  “That’s a big sigh.”

  Gabe walked toward her. The rings under his eyes weren’t quite so dark, but the frown lines around his mouth and forehead were still there.

  “Mom just told me that someone wants to buy the cottage. They want to build a retirement village on our property and our neighbors’.”

  Gabe’s eyebrows rose. “How do you feel about that?”

  “If it were just me making the decision, I’d say no. But mom and I are joint owners. If she wants to sell, I don’t know what we’ll do.”

  “Did you ask her?”

  “She’s not going to tell me until I’ve told her my decision.”

  “What would you do if you did sell?”

  Natalie studied his face. Would Gabe be happy if she wanted to leave or would he be disappointed? “I’d buy another property in Sapphire Bay.”

  A flicker of relief appeared in his eyes.

  She cleared her throat. Nerves fluttered in her stomach and made her wary of asking him what was really on his mind. “Have you finished the last chapter of your book?”

  “Not quite, but I’m getting there. I should be editing by tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Congratulations.”

  Gabe looked at the stairs. “Do you mind if I join you?”

  “I’d like that. We haven’t seen very much of you.” She bit her lip as Gabe sat beside her. Did that sound too desperate? Too clingy? She hoped not.

  The back door opened and Natalie’s mom appeared. “I thought I heard another voice.” She handed Natalie a cup of tea and smiled at Gabe. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “No, thanks. I’ve had my caffeine quota for the day.”

  “I wish I was that strong. One whiff of a coffee bean and I’m dreaming of cappuccinos.” Kathleen looked at Natalie. “I know it’s early, but I’m heading to bed. Is there anything you need?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. Thanks for looking after me.”

  Kathleen kissed Natalie on the forehead. “You’re welcome. Being able to spend so much time together is a blessing. Goodnight, Gabe.”

  “Goodnight.”

  After her mom left, Natalie sipped her drink and listened to the sound of the forest. “This is my favorite time of the day.”

  “I thought it might be. You spend most evenings out here or by the lake.”

  Natalie smiled. “You noticed?”

  “It was hard not to. Sherlock has a sixth sense when it comes to where you are.” Gabe searched her face. “Did I say something wrong?”

  She pushed away the images that were crowding her mind. “Jaydon Chapman said he had a sixth sense when it came to his victims.”

  “It will get better.”

  “Will it?” She looked at Gabe, hoping he understood what she was going through. “I had another nightmare last night. I thought someone was chasing me through the forest. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get away from them.”

  “Did the police offer you some counseling?”

  Natalie nodded. “I’m not sure it will do much good.”

  “I used to think the same thing. I spent three months going to weekly meetings with a counselor after Michelle died. At the time, I thought it wasn’t working. But looking back, I learned some coping skills that helped me. I’m not doing so well now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Gabe wiped his hands down the sides of his jeans. “It was my fault the Chapman brothers came here. If I hadn’t rented the cottage, you would have been blissfully unaware of what was happening.”

  Natalie wanted to wrap her arm around Gabe and tell him everything would be all right. But she wasn’t sure it would be. “Jaydon Chapman would have hurt you or anyone else who spent time with you. He was pure evil, Gabe. At least I could defend myself enough to get away from him. I couldn’t have done that without the self-defense moves you showed me.”

  “You would have found a way,” he muttered.

  “Maybe. But I remembered what you said about running away and thinking through the panic. It helped.”

  Gabe dropped his head to his chest. “You nearly died.”

  “And I’m pleased to report that I didn’t. How have you been? It couldn’t have been easy standing close to Jaydon and not knowing what would happen.”

  “That’s just it,” Gabe said heavily. “I knew what he was going to do. He would have shot you dead without blinking an eye. I don’t want you in the same situation ever again.”

  “That makes two of us.” She looked up at the sky and sighed. “When I was younger, I used to worry about a giant asteroid hitting the earth and killing everyone. Granddad told me the chance of that happening was so low that it wasn’t worth losing sleep over. I didn’t believe him, so I went to the library and looked in a book. He was right. A large asteroid hits the earth about once in every 100 million years. So, then I thought, what if this is the year? What if we were the unlucky ones? Do you know what Granddad said?”

  Gabe shook his head.

  “He told me that sometimes you need a little faith. Life will work out how it’s supposed to—with or without my doom and gloom predictions.”

  “My parents would have liked your granddad. They told me something similar after Michelle died.”

  “Did it help?”

  Gabe took a deep breath. “Not straight away. I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It took over my life for a while. After you were shot, it felt as though I were reliving what happened to Michelle. My PTSD is back.”

  Natalie wrapped her hand around his. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Be patient. Give me some time to work through what’s happening.”

  She squeezed his fingers. “I can do that.”

  Gabe searched her face. “I can’t promise you anything at the moment. But you need to know that I love you. I’d give my life to keep you safe and to never have anything like this happen again.”

  “I know you would. Just remember what granddad said. Have a little faith. Our lives will take the path they’re supposed to.”

  “What if that path doesn’t lead to where we think it will?”

  Sadness filled Natalie’s heart. “Then we make the most of where we are and be the best people we can.”

  Gabe lifted her hand to his mouth. The gentle kiss he placed on her knuckles brought tears to her eyes.

  “I’m glad I met you.”

  She held his hand tight. “I’m glad I met you, too.”

  As they watched th
e sun set together, Natalie realized how deeply she meant those words. No matter what happened, she would never regret falling in love with Gabe.

  Chapter 17

  Natalie stood beside her mom as Gabe unlocked his truck. After two weeks of editing his manuscript, he was flying to New York City to speak to his agent and publishing house. For someone who had already published two books, Gabe seemed incredibly nervous.

  He threw his duffel bag onto the back seat of his truck. “Remember to call me. For anything. I can’t do much from Manhattan, but I know plenty of people who are closer.”

  “I’ve got your cell phone number on speed dial.” Natalie was joking, but Gabe’s relieved smile made her sigh.

  “Caleb is twenty minutes away, so don’t hesitate to contact him, either. There’s another bag of Sherlock’s kibble in my laundry and the vet’s number is on the contact list I gave you.”

  The contact list he was talking about contained at least thirty numbers. Natalie had lived in Sapphire Bay for most of her life and even she didn’t know that many people.

  “We’ll be okay,” she assured him. “Have fun in New York City. We’ll see you when you get back.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me without giving me a hug?”

  Natalie laughed at the forlorn expression on his face. “We wouldn’t dream of sending you into the big old world without a hug.”

  “Good, because you’re not going to get a choice.” Gabe gently wrapped his arms around her. “Be safe and don’t eat too much candy at the opening of Brooke’s store.”

  Natalie poked him in the ribs. “You’re just jealous you won’t be there.”

  “Maybe,” he laughed.

  It was good to hear him laugh—even if he was stressed. The last two weeks had been an emotional roller-coaster for both of them. Gabe’s PTSD had added another layer of uncertainty to his life but, with a doctor who’d helped a lot of PTSD patients, he was in the best possible hands.

  “Good luck in New York City, Gabe.” Kathleen gave him a hug. “Tell your publisher they need to pay you more money. Your book will be another bestseller.”

  Natalie smiled at her mom. Gabe had sent them electronic copies of his manuscript and they’d devoured each page. Zac Connelly had fought for justice and won. Natalie’s only disappointment was that Zac hadn’t fallen in love with the gorgeous medical examiner.

  Gabe knelt on the ground and hugged Sherlock. “Be a good boy for Natalie and her mom. I’ll be home on Friday.”

  As Gabe climbed into his truck, Sherlock gave an excited woof before looking up at Natalie.

  “Not today. You can go in the truck another time.”

  Sherlock gave a half-hearted whine before sitting quietly at her feet.

  Gabe rolled down the passenger window. “I’ll call you as soon as I land.”

  “Sounds good. Drive safely.”

  With a final wave, he drove away from the cottage.

  Kathleen smiled. “I bet he calls before he leaves Polson airport.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me, either.” Natalie watched the truck until it disappeared from view. She knew it sounded silly, but she missed Gabe already.

  “He’ll be okay. His family will look after him.”

  “I know. It’s just…” She tried to put into words how she felt. “Sometimes I wonder if this is all a dream. I never thought I’d love someone as much as I love Gabe.”

  Kathleen’s eyes filled with tears. “Your daddy made me feel the same way. It was a shame it didn’t last.”

  “Do you miss him?”

  “Sometimes. We were happy for so long that it came as a shock when it was over. But we’ve both moved on and are happy.”

  Natalie patted Sherlock. “Do you ever think you’ll remarry?”

  “I don’t know.” A mischievous smile lit her mom’s face. “You don’t know any sixty-year-old millionaires who like spending money on their girlfriend, do you?”

  “Not at the moment.” Natalie laughed. “But if I meet anyone who looks promising, I’ll let you know.”

  “You do that.” Kathleen wrapped her hand around Natalie’s elbow and helped her up the stairs. “Do you still want to visit the cemetery after lunch?”

  Natalie sat on the sofa. “I’d like that. I wonder what grandma and granddad would think of everything that’s happened.”

  Her mom handed Natalie a cup of wildberry tea. “They’d say it’s all part of the history of the lake. Did granddad ever tell you the story about Mad Mitch?”

  She shook her head.

  “Well, have I got a story for you.” Kathleen sat on the sofa and sipped her tea. “It all started one dark and stormy night…”

  Natalie smiled as her mom’s voice rose and fell in a theatrical whisper. There was nothing like a good ghost story to banish the real demons. Especially when they kept reappearing in her dreams.

  Natalie was glad she hadn’t come to the cemetery on her own. Her mom had a way of making the impossible seem possible. And visiting her grandparents’ grave for the first time was almost more than she could bear.

  Their white granite headstone glistened in the afternoon sun. “The headstone is lovely. It looks better than in the photos.”

  Kathleen held Natalie’s arm. “I thought so, too, but I couldn’t get a better picture when I took it.”

  Tears filled Natalie’s eyes as she read the inscription. Forever in our hearts. It only seemed like yesterday that they were sitting around her grandparents’ dining table, talking about her first exhibition. Her grandma wanted to know who would be there. Her granddad wanted to know how she felt about showing her paintings to a crowd of strangers. They were the perfect couple—the practical, no-nonsense school teacher had married a man who dreamed about what could be instead of what was in front of him.

  Natalie blew her nose. “They were wonderful grandparents.”

  “The best,” her mom said softly. “They were so proud of you. Even when you were in your twenties, your granddad called you his little bundle of joy. They loved spending time with you.”

  Natalie smiled through her tears. “I have so many happy memories of living with them. After I moved to Europe, I wondered if I’d done the right thing. After a while, I became so caught up in the glamor of living in Italy, that I forgot what was important.”

  “How do you feel about it now?”

  “For the first two or three years, it was the right decision. After that it became more of a habit than a choice. When granddad and grandma died, I felt so guilty for not coming home.” Natalie wiped her eyes. She didn’t know how her mom would feel about what she said next, but she needed to tell her. “I’ve made a decision about whether I want to sell the cottage.”

  Her mom frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to think about it for longer? There’s a lot to consider.”

  Natalie took a deep breath. “I’m sorry if this isn’t what you want, but I can’t sell the cottage to the developers.”

  Her mom sighed and kissed her cheek. “I didn’t think you’d want to sell.”

  “If you’d like me to buy your share of the cottage, I’m happy to do that.”

  “I don’t want to sell, either. In fact, I’ve got other plans for the cottage. How would you feel if I moved back to Sapphire Bay?”

  Natalie’s mouth dropped open. “I thought you liked living in Indianapolis.”

  “I do. But I like living closer to you. It wouldn’t be right away. I’d have to find another job and sell my house.”

  “I can’t think of anything I’d like more. Once Gabe finds a place of his own, I could move into granddad and grandma’s side of the cottage and you could have our side.”

  Kathleen sent her a confident smile. “I think Gabe might have something to say about that. It seems to me that he’s more in love with you than he realizes.”

  “You’ve got your mother-of-the-bride blinkers on again. Gabe is still working out what’s important in his life. And that might not be me.”

  H
er mom sighed. “Take it from someone who knows a thing or two about love. That man is head over heels in love with you. He just needs a little time for his brain to catch up with his heart.” Kathleen picked up the bucket they’d brought with them. “After I’ve filled this with water, we’ll wash the headstone. And then you can tell me how your painting is coming along.”

  While her mom walked across to the faucet, Natalie knelt beside her grandparents’ grave. The white roses she’d brought were from grandma’s garden. Lifting the blooms to her nose, she breathed in the sweet fragrance. It filled her with memories of being cuddled close in her grandma’s arms, of working beside her in the garden, weeding and pruning the plants. It reminded her of the picnics they’d enjoyed in their backyard, the cookies her grandma loved to bake.

  Closing her eyes, she wrapped those memories around her, filling all the sad spaces with her grandma and granddad’s love. When she opened her eyes, a calmness she hadn’t felt in a long time washed through her body. She knew, without knowing how, that her grandparents weren’t upset that she wasn’t at their funeral. One day didn’t overshadow all the days they had spent together. The days when they’d loved each other with a depth that would sustain them now and forever.

  Four days later, Gabe parked his truck around the corner from the general store. For a few minutes he sat there, watching the people of Sapphire Bay go about their daily lives. For such a small town, it was always busy.

  He checked his watch. The grand opening of Brooke’s store had started half an hour ago. On the flight to New York City, he’d rearranged his week, pushing a few appointments into the evening so that he could be back home for Friday afternoon.

  His agent hadn’t been impressed, but after everything that had happened over the last few weeks, Eric was ready to cut him a break.

  A knock on the driver’s window scared the living daylights out of him.

  Caleb’s grinning face didn’t make it any better.

  He opened the door, scowling at his friend. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  “It’s called living dangerously. Welcome home.”

  Gabe had done his fair share of living dangerously and he wasn’t going back there in a hurry.