Gabe crossed his arms, hoping the cowboy got the hint.
The woman wearing the red polka dot dress waited a few seconds before sending a beaming smile at the audience. “Do I have any advances on two hundred dollars?”
A heavy silence fell across the crowd.
“In that case, folks, this lovely chocolate-glazed cherry-pecan pie will be going home with the man in the blue shirt.”
More than a hundred pairs of eyes swiveled toward Gabe. It was a heck of a way to keep a low profile.
* * *
After they left the auction,there were still a lot of people walking along Main Street. It reminded Natalie of the times she’d traveled the same sidewalk with her grandparents. The Cherry Festival had been one of the highlights of their year.
“Fudge?” Gabe held a bag of cherry ripple fudge under her nose.
She blinked away her tears. “No, thanks.”
“Are you sure? It tastes great.”
Natalie looked into Gabe’s eyes. “You’re leading me astray.”
He wiped a tear off her cheek. “I’ve got the best of intentions.”
“And what would those be?”
“To save myself from a sugar overload.”
He handed her a piece of fudge. “Do you and your mom want to come to my place for dessert?”
“We’ve already taken up most of your day.”
Gabe stepped out of the way of a family coming toward them. “Another hour won’t hurt. We could all take Sherlock for a walk. Your mom would enjoy seeing the lake again.”
“That sounds good to me,” Kathleen said. “I’m looking forward to meeting Sherlock.”
Natalie smiled. “It looks as though you’ve got two visitors for dessert. Would you like us to bring anything?”
“Definitely not. We can have the cherry pie I bought at auction.” Gabe’s cell phone beeped. He took it out of his pocket and stopped walking. “It’s Detective Jameson.”
Natalie held her breath. Maybe the police had found the person who’d staged the first crime scene. Or perhaps the person responsible had done something worse. She hoped not. It was bad enough being stalked by someone. It was worse knowing what they could do next.
When Gabe finished the call, he slid the phone into his pocket.
Her heart sank when she saw the worry on his face. “Someone broke into the cottage. The police are there now.”
Kathleen wrapped her arm around Natalie’s waist. “How bad is it?”
“There’s no graffiti and nothing looks as though it was moved. The police think the alarm scared whoever it was away. Tanner is on his way to Sapphire Bay.”
Natalie’s heart pounded. She wasn’t worried about the large pieces of furniture being stolen. Although they had belonged to her grandparents, most of it could be replaced. What upset her the most was the thought of losing the small keepsakes her family had collected. They weren’t expensive, but they had a lot of sentimental value. Then there was Gabe’s manuscript and her canvases. If anyone wanted to upset either of them, their work would be an easy target.
She just hoped the security camera had caught whoever had broken into the cottage.
