“Thanks.”
A smile lit her eyes. “You’re welcome.”
He couldn’t imagine what she was thinking. For someone who’d spent a lot of time painting in Europe, this must seem crazy. She’d come to Montana to find a new kind of normal. Instead of a new life, she’d inherited his problems and a stalker who wouldn’t go away. But for some reason, she was just as determined as he was to find Leith Chapman.
Each day they spent together, the more he appreciated her sense of humor, the way she calmly handled stressful situations, even when he was worried about what was happening. It didn’t take much for him to realize he was falling in love but, right now, he was the last person she needed in her life.
Sherlock trotted ahead, happy to walk beside Natalie. Most mornings, Gabe had to coax him away from the studio Caleb had created. For the first time since Michelle’s death, Sherlock had attached himself to someone other than Gabe. Only time would tell if that was a good thing.
“What’s that?” Natalie stopped and pointed to a pile of branches under a pine tree.
Gabe glanced at Caleb. Someone had made a crude shelter out of fallen branches. From the look on Caleb’s face, he was thinking the same thing as Gabe. Finding the shelter this close to his house was too much of a coincidence.
He held a finger to his lips and looked at Natalie. If someone was inside, he didn’t want them to know they’d seen their hideout.
Caleb kept talking, making a big deal out of retying his bootlaces.
As Gabe took his gun out of its holster, Natalie froze. Her eyes widened and she shook her head. She thought he was overreacting. He wished he was.
With one look, Sherlock changed from happy-go-lucky hiking buddy to police dog. With his ears pricked forward and his eyes firmly on Gabe, he was ready for anything.
Caleb pulled Natalie farther along the track, making more noise than a herd of elephants.
From where he stood, Gabe couldn’t see if anyone was in the shelter. Stepping sideways, he slowly moved forward.
Sherlock stuck like glue to his side.
Taking position behind the trunk of a tree, Gabe took a deep breath, raised his gun and pivoted toward the opening. “It’s empty,” he yelled.
Sherlock’s sharp bark echoed through the trees.
Gabe smiled at the goofy grin on his dog’s face. He knelt down and rubbed Sherlock’s back. “Good boy.” He didn’t know how much Sherlock remembered about his time in the K-9 unit, but something had triggered the joy on his face.
Unlike Sherlock, Natalie didn’t seem happy. She stomped toward him with a frown plastered across her face. “You didn’t need to take out your gun,” she growled. “Someone could have been hurt.”
“Only if they were doing something they shouldn’t.” Gabe used a stick to flick through the trash on the floor of the shelter. “They must have been here for at least a couple of days.”
Caleb’s gaze skimmed over the mess. “Junk food. Could be hunters, but they usually take their trash with them. It’s too far from the road for teenagers.”
“Do you get many people living rough out here?” Gabe asked.
“I’m sure there are, but I haven’t seen them.”
Natalie didn’t say anything. She studied the trees around them, scowling into the deep, dark shadows. “We should keep moving.”
Gabe backed out of the shelter. “You’re right. We’ll mark this on our map and find the cave.”
Sherlock stood patiently beside Natalie, watching what was happening with an intensity that Gabe hadn’t seen in a long time. As soon as they moved away from the shelter, Sherlock visibly relaxed.
Thirty minutes later, they were walking along a rocky ledge, searching for the cave.
Natalie rested against the cliff face. “The view from here is incredible.”
Gabe looked across the rugged landscape. Below them, pine, spruce, and oak trees formed a blanket of green for as far as he could see. A river wound its way through the forest, heading west to Flathead Lake.
Natalie pulled out her phone and started taking photos. She turned to Gabe and grinned. “Smile!”
As soon as she’d taken the photo, he replaced his smile with a frown. “Watch where you’re stepping. The ledge is narrow.”
