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quite some time. If she were forced off the road, there would be no one around to help her.
    Abby tried to see the face of the driver, but the truck's windows were tinted, and she was afraid to take her eyes off the road for too long. If the truck rammed her, it would take all her concentration to keep her vehicle under control. Her mouth was dry and her heart pounded as she considered her options. She didn't want to lead whoever it was to the cabin, so she couldn't go home. The last thing she needed was for some stranger to know where she lived and how isolated she was from other people. Just as Abby was about to completely lose it she saw another car coming toward her. A sheriff's deputy. Thank God. The truck behind her turned off onto one of the many side roads that dotted the countryside just as the patrol passed by.
    Shaking with reaction, Abby sped up, frequently checking in her rearview mirror to see if the truck returned, but it was gone. Abby didn't know what to make of the encounter. She didn't want to panic; after all, nothing had really happened. Relieved, she spotted the turn off to the road up the mountain. She was almost home. Should she tell someone? Jack? The sheriff? No, she would just keep an eye out to be on the safe side. It was probably nothing.

Chapter Three
    The next several days all followed a similar pattern. She spent some time outside playing with Bear and went down the mountain again to explore a nearby antique mall with Leigh Ann, but most of her time was occupied working on her novel. And if her gaze was drawn out the window toward the direction of Jack's cabin a little too often, she wouldn't admit it to herself. Her nights were filled with restless tossing and turning, and she woke each morning aware of a pulsing arousal humming through her veins. Her body knew what she wanted even if her mind refused to admit it.
    By the morning of the eighth day, she was ready for a break. She grabbed the fantasy novel she had bought at the grocery store and went to sit at the kitchen table. With her chair tilted back and her feet propped on the tabletop, she soon became lost in the adventures of the fledgling wizard Daron and his dragon Crole.
    "I've brought your mail."
    So complete was her concentration that the intrusion of that masculine voice startled the wits out of her. She shrieked, her whole body jerked in reaction, and the chair she was sitting in crashed backwards to the floor. Her left foot knocked against a glass and sent it flying off the table with a bang. And to top it all off, Bear began barking and jumping up and down, adding to the general confusion in the tiny kitchen.
    Jack moved to where Abby lay sprawled on the hard floor, gasping for breath. He stepped gingerly over broken glass and around the barking dog before kneeling and reaching out to support her as she attempted to rise.
    "Hell. I'm sorry. Are you all right?” he asked as he helped her up. She swayed, and he put out a hand to steady her, drawing her close to offer support. His arms enfolded her waist, and she could feel the steady beat of his heart under her hand as it rested on his chest. Though his arms held her gently, their grasp was firm, and she leaned into him for several long moments.
    The atmosphere in the room thickened, and Abby became aware of a tension in the arms that surrounded her. She held herself completely still, afraid of the feelings racing through her. She had known that Jack would be trouble for her, and she had been right. When she tried to pull back, wanting to escape the feelings he aroused in her, his hands tightened, and he drew in a harsh breath as her struggling body arched against his. An unfamiliar heat rushed over her at the look on his face, blue fire shooting from his eyes. She tried to look away but couldn't, hypnotized by the desire she saw there. His growing erection prodded her soft belly while his eyes strayed to her suddenly dry lips. As she bit her bottom lip, his hands tightened on