Her grip was firm. “There’s no need to be so formal. You can call me, Kathleen. Are you enjoying living in Sapphire Bay?”
“It’s exactly what I needed.” Gabe pulled his cap onto his head. The chance of anyone recognizing him was remote, but stranger things had happened.
Natalie looked at the crowd hovering around the luggage carousel. “Did you bring any suitcases with you, mom?”
“No. This is it.”
Natalie seemed surprised. “Are you feeling all right?”
Kathleen smiled. “I’m only here for a couple of days. Besides, if I need another bag I can always buy one. Before I forget, Aunt Jennie says hello and wants to know when you’re coming to see her.”
Natalie looked at Gabe. “Aunt Jennie is mom’s sister. She makes the best lemon shortbread I’ve ever tasted.”
“It’s funny you should say that.” Kathleen opened the side zipper of her carry-on. “This is for you.”
Natalie held the cellophane-wrapped cookies in her hand and smiled. “You should come to Montana more often.”
“I will now that you’re home.” Tears filled Kathleen’s eyes. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” Natalie hugged her mom again, then stepped away and wiped her eyes. “We’d better go to the Cherry Festival before Gabe regrets coming with us.”
“No one regrets going to the Cherry Festival,” Kathleen said. “Even if they have two emotional females with them.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Gabe said. “As long as we find a stall that sells cherry pie, I'll be happy.”
Natalie held onto the handle of her mom’s carry-on. “You won’t need to worry about that. Last time we were here, mom bought at least a dozen pies.”
“I didn’t eat them all at once,” Kathleen said quickly. “I stored them in the freezer for the right occasion.”
Natalie grinned.
“Okay. I admit I didn’t need much of an excuse to nibble on them. Sweet cherries with a little whipped cream can become addictive.”
Gabe thought of his mom’s fruit pies and smiled. There was nothing like the taste and smell of homemade pie to make you feel good. His smile disappeared as soon as they started moving. For such a small town, Polson Airport was busy.
They eventually maneuvered their way out of the terminal building. Walking across the parking lot was like riding the bumper cars at the county fair. Everyone wanted to make a quick exit and no one wanted to wait for three pedestrians. Unless something else was happening in town, most of these people would be heading to the Cherry Festival.
Gabe searched the parking lot, looking for anyone who didn’t seem to belong.
Natalie made sure her mom was safely inside the truck before turning to him. “Is everything all right?” she whispered.
He pulled her toward the truck as another vehicle drove slowly by them. “I hope so.” His body tensed as he waited to see what the driver did next.
“Have you heard from the detectives in the NYPD?”
Gabe shook his head as the vehicle left the parking lot. “Not for a couple of days.”
“Hopefully, no news is good news.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
Natalie frowned. “What happened to the guy who woke up with a smile on his face?”
“He just realized how many people will be at the festival.”
“No one will recognize us. Between our baseball caps and sunglasses, we’ll look like everyone else.” Natalie tapped the end of his cap. “And just for the record, don’t pull out your gun unless it’s really necessary. Mom has an even worse phobia about them than I do.”
Gabe looked into Natalie’s smiling face and sighed. Her blue eyes sparkled. He forgot about the real-life drama the stalker was creating and the team of police who were trying to help him. All he focused on was the woman standing in front of him.
Natalie was different from most of the women he’d known. She always saw the good in a situation and didn’t have any trouble trusting people. He wished he could say the same about himself. But fourteen years in the police force had changed him—and not for the better. His only hope for today was that neither of them regretted their decision to be here.
