“A wrong guess.”
Natalie was confused. “I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable?”
“No, I’ve never felt uncomfortable around you.” Gabe stepped closer. “When we’re together I feel like nothing is impossible.”
She could have drowned in the longing in his eyes. For a woman who was determined to begin a new life, to find happiness, his words should have made her feel like the luckiest person alive. But she was terrified.
Terrified of making a mistake, of reading too much into the gentleness on his face, the smile that always made her stomach twist in knots.
Gabe’s fingertips brushed her jaw. “I never thought I’d care about anyone again, but I was wrong. When this is over, would you like to go on a date with me?”
“A date?”
“You know…where two people go to the movies or out to dinner. Or we could do something else. There are plenty of river rafting tours we could join or there’s a rock climbing wall beside the community center that’s challenging.”
“I’ve never been rock climbing.”
“We could do that.”
“No. I mean I don’t want to go rock climbing.” Natalie’s brain had gone to mush and nothing was making sense. “I thought you didn’t want to date anyone?”
Gabe’s smile disappeared. “Neither did I. But sometimes life has a funny way of showing you what’s important. And you are important.”
For someone who was falling in love with him, Natalie was suddenly very nervous. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if how you’re feeling is a reaction to being under a lot of stress? What if—”
“I’m not asking you to marry me, Natalie.” Gabe’s soft voice calmed her in a way that nothing else could have. “If we don’t enjoy spending time together after this has finished, we don’t need to see each other again.”
“Do you know how depressing that sounds?”
Gabe smiled. “Is that a yes to a date?”
Natalie kissed his cheek. “It’s a yes to a date that doesn’t involve a gun or a climbing wall.”
“I’ll have to be creative.”
She shook her head. “Just be yourself. That’s all I’ll ever need.”
* * *
Gabe pickedup the stick Sherlock dropped at his feet. “Do you want me to throw this?”
Sherlock froze, his excited eyes never leaving Gabe’s face.
Fetch had always been one of their favorite games. Sherlock was quick, too. As soon as the stick left Gabe’s hand, the German Shepherd sprinted across the yard, snatched the piece of wood off the ground and sped back to Gabe.
“Good boy.”
Sherlock’s tail swished backward and forward, waiting for the next round of play time.
Gabe brought back his arm and flung the stick into the trees. If the stalker was stupid enough to stand on the edge of the clearing with an ex-police dog tearing toward him he wasn’t as intelligent as anyone thought.
Sherlock disappeared into the trees and Gabe sighed. The last two days had been hard on all of them. The long walks Sherlock loved were a thing of the past. They couldn’t afford to be caught too far from the house. So, regardless of his dog’s sad brown eyes, they hadn’t ventured beyond the trees on the far side of the yard.
But there was good news. Despite what was happening, Natalie was making good progress on the canvas she’d brought with her. His manuscript was rolling along nicely and Caleb was pleased with the work he’d managed to finish. Even though they were making good use of the time away from Sapphire Bay, Gabe knew it couldn’t go on forever.
He looked at his watch, then back at the forest. Even with Sherlock’s curious streak, he should have returned by now.
The front door of the house banged opened and Caleb rushed outside. “They’ve found him!”
