Chapter 10
“Take care of my little girl.” Kathleen hugged Gabe, then turned to Natalie. “Don’t do anything foolish. The media can be pure misery. They’ll twist any piece of information they find to make a headline.”
Natalie wrapped her arms around her mom. “I know. I’ll be careful. Thank you for coming to see me.”
“If I didn’t have to go home, I’d stay for longer. If you need somewhere to stay, come to Indianapolis. It’s not Montana, but it has its own charm.” Kathleen linked her arm under her daughter’s. “Call me each day. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I will.”
Kathleen led her toward Caleb’s truck. They’d decided it would be safer if he took her mom to the airport. “Gabe is a nice man,” her mom whispered. “Don’t discount him just because he’s a writer.”
“What’s wrong with writers?” Natalie whispered back. She couldn’t wait to hear why her mom thought she should be wary of him.
“Your dad wrote articles for magazines and you know how that ended.”
Natalie bit her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling. “Dad had other issues. Gabe’s not like him.”
Kathleen glanced over her shoulder at the man in question. “No, he’s not. He likes you.”
“He thinks I’m stubborn.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a person who knows their own mind.”
“I hope you haven’t discussed any of this with Gabe?” Natalie opened the door of Caleb’s truck.
“Of course not. But let me know if I need to plan a wedding. I still know a few people in Polson and Sapphire Bay.”
Natalie sighed. Her mom never missed an opportunity to tell her how much she was looking forward to her wedding and holding her first grandbaby. “It’s not going to happen, mom.”
Kathleen hugged her. “We’ll see. I’ll call you when I arrive home.”
“That would be great.”
Kathleen sent Gabe another wave before sliding into the truck.
Caleb leaned forward. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Drive safely.” As the truck disappeared down the gravel driveway, Natalie sighed.
“She’ll be okay.”
She turned to Gabe. “I hope so.” The warmth in his eyes made her breath catch. “Oh, no. You heard what mom said, didn’t you?”
Gabe’s smile widened. “Most of it. What happened to your dad?”
“He ran off with the editor of the magazine he was writing for. They’re happily married and living in Arizona.”
“How often do you see him?”
“Once or twice a year. Apart from that, we call each other at Christmas and for our birthdays, but that’s about it.” Natalie pushed away the sadness that settled in her heart. “Everything seemed normal until one day, dad told us he was leaving. Mom fell apart. That’s when we moved into the cottage.”
“It must have been a difficult time for everyone.”
Natalie nodded. “It was, but we’re okay now.” She looked away from Gabe’s steady gaze. Her father’s betrayal had hurt more than she’d told anyone. And after her first real relationship ended the same way as her parents’ marriage, she’d never dared to let someone close again.
Gabe stuck his hand in his pocket. “I know you said you don’t want this, but I’d like you to borrow it.” He placed his dad’s small wooden whistle in the palm of her hand. “Caleb’s nearest neighbor is five miles away and the cell phone coverage is hopeless. If anything happens, Sherlock might be able to find you.”
“What about you?”
