In the Arms of a Stranger (Entangled Ignite) by Virginia Kelly

pulled on his hat. “Who’s watching out for Buck?”
    “Carey’s son. He’ll feed our cat, too.”
    He nodded. “I’ll be on my way then, Abby. Take care.”
    “Thanks again,” she said as he got into his pickup. She stood at her front door, clutching Cole’s hand, as Ron drove slowly down her driveway. As soon as the truck’s taillights disappeared behind the trees, she tugged Cole back in and ran down the hall, checking the rooms, calling softly. When she didn’t find JP, she ran back and checked the dining room and kitchen.
    “He went bye,” Cole said.
    She stared at her son, fighting back a cry of dismay. Damn!
    JP Blackmon had vanished. And with him, any hope of getting her answers.

Chapter 4
    The next morning, Abby woke up sore and tired. She’d spent a sleepless night twisting and turning, fighting the overwhelming urge to chase after JP—if she only knew where he’d gone. But she had to deal with practicalities.
    After breakfast, her brother, Steve, brought a chainsaw to cut up the fallen limb that had prevented her from getting to the highway the night before. She and Cole climbed in his truck and rode to the barn with him to meet the tow truck.
    When the garage guy towed her car out of the mud, he saw JP’s car in the creek. That brought a sheriff’s deputy over, who called Ron and another man from Search and Rescue. They checked out the car before giving the okay to pull it out of the creek.
    “You didn’t see this car last night?” the deputy asked. He tipped his sheriff’s hat at the driver as the tow truck headed to the impound lot, hauling JP’s car behind it.
    “You’re kidding, right?” she replied, afraid he’d know the truth. “I could barely see anything.”
    Where could JP be? How far could he have gotten, wounded and without transportation? If it weren’t for Cole, she would have chased after him last night. But it would have been a fool’s errand. If JP didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t be. Certainly not by her.
    “You haven’t seen it around here before?” the deputy pressed.
    “No. I’m pretty sure I haven’t.”
    “About all you can count on Abby to remember about a car is the color,” Steve said with a laugh. “She has to see the Ford or the Chevy logo before she knows what make it is.”
    The officer chuckled. “I’ll run the plates, but I guess the owner will come back and claim it if he’s interested.”
    JP wouldn’t be back. She’d never know what happened to him, just as she’d never know what had happened to Wade.
    Ron, along with a younger man Abby didn’t know, walked back up from the dirt road. The young man climbed into Ron’s small pickup.
    “We searched downstream in case a body washed up,” Ron said, joining them, He swiped at the sweat on his temple with his arm. “But looks to me like the driver walked away.”
    “Might have been one of the men working Carey’s place,” Steve offered.
    “Nah, I asked,” the deputy said. He thanked Ron, then, turning to her and her brother, he added, “I’m headed back to the office, folks. Have a good one.” He climbed into his cruiser and drove off.
    “We’ll be movin’ on, too,” Ron said. “When are y’all leavin’ to go fishin’, Steve?”
    “This afternoon. Storm put us behind.”
    “You let Buck and Petunia out yet?”
    “Steve let Buck out,” Abby replied. “But we’re waiting for Sam to check Petunia’s stitches. He tore himself up pretty badly when he ran through Amos’s fence this time.”
    “Crazy bull,” Ron said. “He’s nothing but trouble.”
    “Amos keeps hoping he’ll learn,” Abby said with a sigh. The animal definitely had a bad temper.
    “See you folks later,” Ron said, climbing into his pickup. “Have a great time fishin’. Abby, you gonna be around?”
    “No, I’m going out of town with some friends.”
    “Oh, yeah. You told me. Well, drive careful,” he said, and waved.
    She and her brother watched Ron’s progress down the long