Running a hand over his hair, he summoned his nerve and rang the doorbell, all the while reminding himself that this was just one date, nothing more.

He couldn't help staring when the door opened. "Wow."

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He didn't know what Vicki had done differently, but she was a knockout in a pair of black pants and a short-sleeved, vee-neck green sweater that was the perfect foil for her red hair and made her eyes seem even darker and greener than he recalled.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure. Just let me grab my handbag."

He stood on the porch feeling like a teenager on his first date. "So," he said when she reappeared. "Where would you like to go for dinner?"

"The Sea Crest is nice."

"Great. Let's go."

"Do you know where it is?"

"No."

She smiled and took his hand. "That's okay, I do."

He opened the car door for her, closed it behind her. Walking around to the driver's side, he suddenly wished he was driving a new convertible instead of a beat-up black Camaro.

They talked about the weather and the possibility of rain on the ride to the restaurant.

Duncan had the feeling she was holding something back, that she was dying to ask him something but didn't know how.

The Sea Crest was a nice place. The tables were covered in crisp white cloths. The lighting was soft enough to encourage lovers but not so dark as to discourage families.

There were paintings of seascapes and tall-masted ships on the walls.

The hostess, apparently pegging them as lovers, showed them to a small table in a corner. She handed them each a menu, smiled, and left the table.

Duncan looked around. "Do you come here often?"

Vicki shook her head. "I've only been here once before."

"A special occasion?"

"A good friend of mine from high school had her wedding supper here two years ago.

She reserved the whole place. Must have cost a fortune, but her family could afford it."

"Does she still live in Pear Blossom Creek?"

"No, they moved to Los Angeles. I keep thinking I'll go there for a visit one of these days, but… " She sighed. "You know how that goes."

"Do you ever think about leaving here?" he asked.

"Oh, sure, all the time, but… " She shrugged. "I guess I'm just a small-town girl. All I really want is to get married and settle down. What about you?"

"I've been giving that some thought myself."

"You say that like you're confessing to some horrible crime."

"Yeah, well, let's just say it's not something I ever really planned on."

Wanting to change the subject, he glanced at the menu. For a restaurant in a town that was only a speck on the map, the Sea Crest had big-city prices. But money was only money, and when he ate, he liked to have the best.

"Steak and lobster for me," he said. "How about you?"

"Shrimp and rice," Vicki said, closing her menu. "And a Diet Coke."

The waitress appeared a few minutes later and Duncan placed their orders.

As soon as the waitress left, Vicki leaned forward, her arms crossed on the table. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"Are you really a bounty hunter?"

"Yes, why?"

"So you hunt escaped criminals, right?"

He hesitated a moment, debating the wisdom of telling her the truth.

"Tom?"

"Is there some reason you don't believe me?"

"No, of course not." She grinned, thinking what a good laugh they would have when she told him what Mrs. Heath had said. "I can't believe I'm telling you this, but a friend of mine thinks she knew a relative of yours who claimed to be a vampire hunter. Isn't that the silliest thing you've ever heard?"

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to laugh. When he didn't, a cold chill ran up her spine. "Tom?"

He drummed his fingers on the tabletop, wondering how she would react to the truth. As much as he'd like to tell her a nice lie, she needed to be armed with the truth, to realize that her life was in danger. "Listen, Vicki… "

"Oh, Lord, it's true! You believe in vampires, too, don't you? You're as loopy as Mrs.

Heath."

"Ramona Heath?"

Vicki nodded.

Looking dumbfounded, Tom sat back in his chair. "My great-grandfather used to talk about her." He shook his head. "I thought the name of the town sounded familiar. I can't believe she's still alive. She must be, what, over ninety?"

"You're a vampire hunter, aren't you?"

He didn't deny it. '"Do you want me to take you home?" She wouldn't be the first person to shun his company once they found out what he really did for a living.

"Yes. No. I don't know."

She stared at him. He didn't look like someone who went around staking vampires or cutting off their heads. He was an ordinary-looking man with broad shoulders and a craggy face and eyes… She looked deep into his eyes and knew that he was telling her the truth. Chat least the truth as he perceived it. He truly believed he was hunting vampires.

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" she asked. "You think a vampire killed Sharlene and those other women."

He nodded, his expression somber.

"I think I saw him. The killer. He didn't look like a vampire, though."

Duncan 's whole demeanor changed. She had taken him for a nice, easygoing guy but now she saw the steel beneath his laid-back exterior. His eyes narrowed. A muscle worked in his jaw. "Where? When?"

"At the Blue Horse Tavern on Saturday night."

"What did he look like?"

"He was a little taller than I am, kind of slim, with blond hair. And yellow eyes."

Duncan swore under his breath. "Falco. Listen to me, Vicki, whether you want to believe it or not, he's a vampire. A very old vampire."

Vicki sat back, her mind reeling, not only because of what he was telling her, but because she believed him. In that instant her whole world and much of what she had believed in turned upside down.

"But… What's he doing here, in Pear Blossom Creek?"

Duncan shrugged. "Happenstance, maybe. Who the hell knows what a vampire thinks?

But he's dangerous, I can tell you that."

"What does he have against redheads?"

"I couldn't say for sure. The story goes that when he was a mortal man, he was engaged to a red-haired woman. It's said that while they were engaged, she had several lovers and when he found out about it, he killed her and cut off a lock of her hair. Soon after that, there was a string of murders. All the victims had red hair. Soon after that, he was turned."

"Turned?"

"Into a vampire."

"How long ago was that?"

"I'm not sure. A thousand years ago, give or take a century or two."

"And he's been killing women all that time?"

"That's why he's got to be stopped. Now."

She was only vaguely aware of the arrival of the waitress with their dinner.

"You might as well eat," Duncan said with a wry grin.

Vicki stared at her plate. Eat? How could he think of food when there was a vampire loose in Pear Blossom Creek? One who had a fondness for killing redheaded women?

She watched Duncan cut into his steak. Juice oozed in the wake of the knife, reminding her of blood.

Feeling suddenly nauseous, she glanced out the window, felt her insides go cold when she saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring back at her.

Chapter 12

Vicki gasped, one hand flying to her throat. He was here!

"What is it?" Duncan asked, his gaze darting around the room.

"Out there! He's here!"

"Who's here?" Duncan asked. And then he knew. Swiveling around in his chair, he stared out the window. "I don't see anyone."

"He was there. I saw him."

Duncan reached for her hand. "It's all right, Vicki. Take a deep breath. That's right.

You're safe in here with me."

She took several deep breaths, her gaze constantly darting to the window. She wanted to believe she had imagined it, but she hadn't. Those horrible yellow eyes had been watching her.

Duncan handed her a glass of water. "Here, drink this."

She didn't know what good drinking a glass of water would do, but she was too upset to argue. Surprisingly, doing something so ordinary calmed her a little.

"Are you going to… to… " She couldn't say the words.

"Just as soon as I find him."

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard. He's right out there!"

"He's probably long gone by now. Besides, hunting vampires after dark is a risky business. I prefer to do it when the sun's up."

"Do you know where he stays during the day?"

"No, but I'll find him. It's just a matter of time."

"Yes, time," she murmured, and hoped that Tom found the vampire before the vampire found her.

"Don't worry. I'll get him." Duncan squeezed her hand. "Do you want to leave?"

Was he crazy? The way she felt right now, she wasn't leaving this place until the sun was up. "No."

Tom regarded her for a moment, then picked up his knife and fork and began to eat his dinner.

Blowing out a breath, Vicki speared one of the shrimp on her plate, thinking that if this was going to be her last meal, at least it would be a good one.

When they finished dinner, Tom asked if she would like to take a walk, but Vicki shook her head. She was never going to feel safe out on the streets after dark again, not as long as that fiend was somewhere out there.

"Let's go back to my place for dessert," she suggested. "I made a cake today."