“Earlier this morning. Detective Jameson called Caleb a few minutes ago.”
“Has he been charged with anything?”
Gabe sighed. “As far as I’m aware he’s only been charged with running a red light and breaking and entering. The police are searching his apartment and his stepbrother’s. Hopefully, they’ll find enough evidence to charge him with stalking and whatever else they can throw at him.”
“So, Leith won’t be coming back to Sapphire Bay?”
“Not if the police can help it. It all depends on what they find in the Chapman brothers’ apartments.”
The bubble of excitement that had been growing inside of Natalie, popped. “I was hoping it was over.”
“So was I,” Gabe said quietly. “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder every time I go somewhere.”
Natalie touched his arm. She could only imagine what the last six months had been like. “Would you like a hug?”
The frown on Gabe’s face turned into a slow smile. “I won’t say no. But don’t tell Sherlock you offered to hug me. He likes his hugs, too. It would be just like him to abandon me and live with you.”
Natalie wrapped her arms around Gabe’s waist. “You won’t have to worry about that. He loves you too much to stay with someone else. Besides, I’ve run out of doggie treats.”
Laughter rumbled through Gabe’s chest. “I’ll have to visit the general store. They sell the peanut butter cookies Sherlock loves.”
Natalie relaxed against Gabe. It felt so right to be close to him, to know they were there for each other. Over the last few weeks, they’d learned a lot about each other. At each step of the way, her admiration for who he was and what he had achieved grew stronger.
“Everything will get better,” she said as she stepped away.
“That’s what my agent said five months ago.”
“His timing was off, that’s all.” She wiped her hands on her jeans and looked around the yard. “I’ll miss Caleb’s home when we leave.”
Gabe seemed surprised. “I thought you’d be looking forward to seeing your cottage again.”
“It’s so peaceful here.”
“And safe.”
Natalie nodded. She wondered if he knew how close he’d come to understanding the real reason she liked being here. After two of her homes had been broken into, she’d given up thinking anywhere was safe. “When did you want to return to Sapphire Bay?”
“Whenever you’re ready is fine by me. Caleb will probably appreciate having his house to himself again.”
“He’s a good person. There aren’t many people who would share their home with us.”
Gabe nodded. “I don’t know what we would have done without him.”
The back door opened and Caleb stepped onto the deck. “We were just talking about you,” she yelled.
“I hope you were saying nice things.”
“Of course.” She smiled as Sherlock ran toward Gabe.
She’d miss Sherlock when he returned to Brooklyn. The big dog had watched over her as she’d painted, walked with her in the forest, and used his big brown eyes to plead for food as she’d cooked dinner.
“Has Gabe told you about Chapman?” Caleb asked.
Natalie pulled her gaze away from Sherlock. “He did. It’s good news.”
Caleb sighed. “You sound as excited as Gabe. Does this mean you aren’t ready to celebrate his arrest?”
She forced a smile. “I’ll make you a promise. When Leith Chapman is found guilty of breaking and enteringandstalking, I’ll buy you and Gabe dinner. Until then, I think we should wait and see what happens.”
