Chapter 25

ERIC

I searched the faces of people coming through the arrivals gate. So far, I hadn't seen anyone who looked like a feminine version of Riley.

"There she is." Riley walked toward a woman wearing a blue dress.

I wasn't surprised I hadn't seen a family resemblance because there wasn't one. Riley's mom was nearly a foot shorter than her son. Blond hair, cropped close to her head, framed a smiling face. If I had to guess her age, I'd say she was in her late fifties, but I could be wrong. So far, she hadn't looked away from her son.

Riley wrapped his arms around his mom and gave her a hug. It was the kind of reunion that made me homesick for my own parents. It had been too long since I'd seen them, but I wasn't taking any chances with their safety.

After Riley finished hugging his mom, he brought her across to meet me. "Eric, this is my mom, Kathleen Murphy. Mom, this is Eric, the man who's renting Grandma and Granddad's cottage."

I took off my baseball cap and held out my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Murphy."

Her grip was firm. "There's no need to be so formal. You can call me Kathleen. Are you enjoying living in Sunrise Bay?"

"It's exactly what I need." I pulled my cap back on. The chance of anyone recognizing me was remote, but stranger things had happened.

Riley looked at the crowd hovering around the luggage carousel. "Did you bring any suitcases with you, Mom?"

"No. This is it."

Riley seemed surprised. "Are you feeling all right?"

Kathleen smiled. "I'm only here for a couple of days. Besides, if I need another bag I can always buy one. Before I forget, Aunt Carol says hello and wants to know when you're coming to see her."

Riley looked at me. "Aunt Carol's Mom's sister. She makes the best lemon shortbread I've ever tasted."

"It's funny you should say that." Kathleen opened the side zipper of her carry-on. "This is for you."

Riley held the cellophane-wrapped cookies in his hand and smiled. "You should come to Colorado more often."

"I will now that you're home." Tears filled Kathleen's eyes. "I've missed you."

"I missed you, too." Riley hugged his mom again, then stepped away and wiped his eyes. "We'd better go to the Cherry Festival before Eric regrets coming with us."

"No one regrets going to the Cherry Festival," Kathleen said. "Even if they have two emotional people with them."

"Don't worry about me," I said. "As long as we find a stall that sells cherry pie, I'll be happy."

Riley held onto the handle of his mom's carry-on. "You won't need to worry about that. Last time we were here, Mom bought at least a dozen pies."

"I didn't eat them all at once," Kathleen said quickly. "I stored them in the freezer for the right occasion."

Riley grinned.

"Okay," Kathleen admitted. "I didn't need much of an excuse to nibble on them. Sweet cherries with a little whipped cream can become addictive."

I thought of my mom's fruit pies and smiled. There was nothing like the taste and smell of homemade pie to make you feel good. My smile disappeared as soon as we started moving. For a relatively small town, Broomfield Airport was busy.

We eventually maneuvered our way out of the terminal building. Walking across the parking lot felt like riding the bumper cars at the county fair. Everyone wanted to make a quick exit, and no one wanted to wait for three pedestrians.

Unless something else was happening in town, most of these people were probably heading to the Cherry Festival.

I searched the parking lot, looking for anyone who didn't seem to belong.

When we arrived at our truck, Riley made sure his mom was safely inside before turning to me. "Is everything all right?" he whispered.

I pulled him toward me as another vehicle drove slowly by. "I hope so." My body tensed as I waited to see what the driver did next.

"Have you heard from the detectives in the NYPD?"

I shook my head as the vehicle left the parking lot. "Not for a couple of days."

"Hopefully, no news is good news."

"I wouldn't count on it."

Riley frowned. "What happened to the guy who woke up with a smile on his face?"

"He just realized how many people will be at the festival."

"No one will recognize us. Between our baseball caps and sunglasses, we'll look like everyone else." Riley tapped the end of my cap. "And just for the record, don't pull out your gun unless it's really necessary. Mom has an even worse phobia about them than I do."

I looked into Riley's smiling face and sighed. His blue eyes sparkled. I forgot about the real-life drama the stalker was creating and the team of police trying to help me. All I focused on was the man standing in front of me.

Riley was different from most of the men I'd known. He always saw the good in a situation and didn't have any trouble trusting people. I wished I could say the same about myself. But fifteen years in the police force had changed me—and not for the better. My only hope for today was that neither of us regretted our decision to be here.