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S aintcrow called Kadie the next afternoon. He was pleased when he heard a faint smile in her voice. “Are you busy?”

“Not really,” she said. “Why?”

“You remember that town I told you about? Morgan Creek?”

“Sure. Don’t tell me it burned down?”

“No,” he said, with a laugh. “I’m gonna re-open it in a couple of weeks. I thought maybe you’d like to come and see it. Maybe stay for a few days.”

She didn’t answer right away. He could sense her hesitation.

Letting his mind brush hers, he caught her arguing with herself, listing the reasons why she shouldn’t go.

She barely knew him. They would be alone.

There would be no one to call if she needed help.

They might have been friends in the past, but he was a stranger now …

“It’s all right,” he said, not wanting to pressure her or spook her. “Maybe I’ll give you a call when we’re open again.”

“Yes,” she said, a note of relief in her voice. “I’d like that.”

“Have a good day, Kadie,” he said, and ended the call.

Kadie tapped her finger on her phone, then did a Google search for Morgan Creek.

It was located in Wyoming and had once been a haven for people crossing the country on their way West. Pioneers had used it as a resting place.

Indians had watered their ponies there. Outlaws had used it as a hideout for several years.

Then, as happened to so many Old West towns, other routes West had been found, gold mines had played out, saloons had dried up.

It had been pretty much forgotten until an anonymous company bought up all the land at an auction and eventually turned it into a thriving getaway.

Kadie nodded as she finished reading, more certain than ever that Rylan Saintcrow was a millionaire, or darn close to it.

She ran into him several times in the next week—at the movies again, walking along Bourbon Street, in a club that played the blues. When she ran into him at a bookstore in the French Quarter, she began to wonder if he was stalking her.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” Saintcrow said, putting aside the book he had been thumbing through.

“Is it? I’m beginning to think you’re following me.”

“Excuse me, but I was here first. Perhaps you’r e following me .” She was right, of course. He was following her. He had only to read her mind to know where she was going.

Kadie felt her cheeks grow warm. He had been there first, and at the other places, as well.

“Just a coincidence, I guess,” she said, not meeting his eyes.

He didn’t need to stalk her. He knew where she was staying.

He was paying for it, after all. And she fully intended to pay him back when she could.

To that end, she kept a list of everything she charged on his credit card.

One of these days, she needed to sit down and decide what she was going to do about her future.

Was that even possible when she couldn’t remember her past? But that was a worry for another day.

“Enjoy the rest of your evening,” he said.

When he turned and started toward the door, she called his name.

Saintcrow turned. “Did you need something?”

“I didn’t mean to be rude,” she said. “Maybe we could go have a cup of coffee or something.”

“I’d like that.” His smile threatened to steal her breath away, the look in his dark eyes almost mesmerizing. “Where would you like to go?”

Kadie shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

Taking her hand in his, he said, “I know a place.”

It was a tiny, hole-in-the-wall club with a dance floor the size of a quilt. Kadie ordered a latte, Saintcrow ordered a glass of red wine. For a time, they talked about books and movies—he liked sci-fi and adventure, she liked historical fiction and romantic comedies.

Kadie felt a thrill of anticipation when he asked her to dance. Being in his arms again was like returning home after a long journey, Kadie mused. But how was that possible? Former good friends or not, she couldn’t remember anything about him.

“This is your favorite song,” he said, when the three-piece band broke into a rendition of Conway Twitty’s “Crazy in Love.”

Kadie stared up at him. The song did sound faintly familiar. She didn’t object when he drew her closer. His breath was warm upon her cheek when he looked down at her, his heated gaze filled with a fierce longing.

Kadie thought about the mysterious Rylan Saintcrow as she got ready for bed that night.

The way he had looked at her, as if he was waiting for something, the heat in his gaze as it caressed her had been a little unsettling.

She had the feeling there was more to Rylan Saintcrow than he let on. A lot more.

It was midnight when Kincaid and Rosa returned to Morgan Creek. Rosa hesitated at the end of the bridge. “Are you sure it’s safe to be here?”

“I wouldn’t bring you home if it wasn’t.” Jake laughed softly. “Having Izabela heal the town cost Saintcrow a pint of blood.”

Rosa stared at him. “Are you kidding?”

“No. And she wants a pint from me, too.”

“And they call us bloodsuckers,” Rosa muttered.

Sweeping Rosa into his arms, Kincaid transported her across the bridge and up the hill to the big yellow house they called home.

Setting her on her feet in the living room, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her long and hard.

“I hated every minute we were apart,” he murmured, raining kisses over her cheeks, her eyelids, thinking of the days he had spent with Saintcrow while searching for Luca.

“I missed you, too. Maybe we should take a second honeymoon, like Ethan and Sofia.”

“There’s nothing I’d like more. But it’ll have to wait until we find Luca and destroy him once and for all.”

With a sigh, Rosa laid her cheek against his chest. She was sick and tired of hearing about Luca Sasan!

Saintcrow spent the next week in Morgan Creek.

He called all the people who had worked there before he closed it—maids, cooks, waitstaff, delivery people, the couple who had run the campground, sales clerks, food suppliers, and vendors.

He hired a service to come in and clean the kitchen and get the rest of the place spruced up.

He hired a contractor to repair the post he’d cracked on the bridge, called a service station to come out and fill the gas tanks.

He ran an ad in all the major newspapers, announcing the re-opening, and before the week was out, reservations were coming in.

The night before the grand re-opening, Saintcrow, Kincaid, and Rosa had a private celebration in the bar in the hotel.

“Well, things are looking up,” Kincaid said. “Kadie’s cured, looks like you’re set for a sold-out crowd tomorrow.” Lifting his glass, he said, “Life is good.”

Saintcrow snorted softly. “Life’s never going to be good again until Kadie knows she’s mine.”

“I know it’s hard,” Kincaid said. “Just be patient.”

“Jake’s right,” Rosa said, giving Saintcrow’s arm a squeeze. “Give her time.’

“I hate this,” Saintcrow said, scowling.

“Do you know what it’s like to be with her and know she doesn’t remember me?

How do I tell her I’m a vampire? Or that she used to be one?

Dammit, there’s no subtle way to bring it up.

I keep hoping she’ll remember.” He shook his head.

“And what if she does? What if that damn curse changed her? Just because she loved me before doesn’t mean she’ll love me again.

Or that she’ll want to be a vampire again.

Or, oh, hell,” he muttered. “I’ll be back later. ”

“Where are you going?”

“Damned if I know.”

Kincaid and Rosa exchanged worried glances when Saintcrow vanished from the hotel. “I’m worried about him,” Kincaid said. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”

“What do you think he’ll do if Kadie never remembers him? Or doesn’t want him if she does?”

Kincaid shook his head. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

Saintcrow prowled the night, anger and frustration roiling within him.

It stirred his hunger and he grabbed the first lone person he saw and dragged him into an alley.

The man was young and strong and he put up a hell of a fight, but to no avail.

Saintcrow buried his fangs in the man’s throat and drank and drank.

When he realized the man was unconscious, he willed the two of them to a hospital, dumped the man on a gurney outside the emergency room, then stepped inside and called for a nurse. He left before anyone saw him.

Damn! He hadn’t come that close to taking a life in decades. Without consciously thinking about it, he found himself in New Orleans in front of the hotel where Kadie was staying. It was ten o’clock. Late to be calling, but he had to see her.

Kadie frowned when someone knocked at the door. A glance at the clock showed it was a little after ten. Who on earth could it be at this time of night? Going to the door, she said, “Who is it?”

“It’s Saintcrow. I know it’s late, but I was hoping I could take you out for a nightcap. Kadie?”

She hadn’t seen him for a week. Curious to hear what he had to say, she opened the door.

“I’m sorry it’s so late,” he said. “Would you like to go out for a drink or a cup of coffee?”

“I guess so. Just let me find my shoes and grab my coat.”

He watched her leave the room, his nostrils filling with the warm sweet scent of life’s blood, the flowery fragrance of her perfume.

“Where did you want to go?” she asked.

“Wherever you’d like.”

“The hotel bar is fine with me.”

Nodding, he followed her out of the suite and closed the door behind them.

Being near her was exhilarating. He listened to the familiar beat of her heart in the elevator, inhaled the scent of her blood, remembered the taste of it on his tongue, the softness of her lips, the way she had always smiled when she saw him.

The way she had responded to his kisses even when she claimed to hate him . Kadie, Kadie, come back to me.

They found a table for two in the back. Saintcrow ordered a glass of wine, Kadie asked for a mocha latte.

“How are you doing?” Saintcrow asked. “Do you need anything?”

“No. You’ve been more than generous.”

The waitress brought their drinks. Kadie couldn’t help noticing the way the woman looked at Saintcrow, just as she couldn’t help noticing that most of the women in the place eyed him. She supposed they couldn’t help it. He was, after all, tall and dark and sinfully handsome.

“How did you get that?” Kadie asked, pointing at the thin, white scar on his left cheek. It could have distracted from his good looks, but only added a touch of mystery.

“I was in a knife fight a long time ago.”

“Did you win?”

“Always.”

Kadie sipped her drink, trying to gather the courage to ask the question she had been wanting to ask for days. “You said we’d known each other a long time.”

He nodded.

“And that we were really good friends.”

He nodded again.

“I guess what I’m wondering is … just how friendly were we?”

“We were lovers, Kadie.”

Lovers. The word conjured erotic images in her mind, intimate images of being in his arms, her breasts crushed against his chest, his mouth hot on hers, his hands … She slammed the door on her thoughts as her cheeks grew warm. “Were we still lovers when I got sick?”

“Very much so.” He leaned forward, his gaze searching hers. “You don’t remember anything?”

She shook her head. “It’s so frustrating!” How could any woman forget making love to a man like Saintcrow? Even now, women at nearby tables were still staring at him, their eyes gleaming with lust. “You’d think I’d remember something.”

“I’m sorry I’ve ignored you this past week, but I’ve been busy planning for the town’s grand re-opening tomorrow. I’d love for you to be there.”

“I’d like that.” She had nothing better to do and after reading about the town, she was more curious than ever to see it.

Saintcrow nodded, pleased. Perhaps being in Morgan Creek would stir old memories, although not all of them were pleasant. Still, their whole history together was tied up in the town. “Would you like another latte?” he asked.

“I don’t think so.”

He paid the check, then accompanied her to her room. He waited while Kadie unlocked the door, then took her hand in his. “I won your heart once before, Kadie Andrews. I hope to do so again.” Leaning forward, he brushed his lips across hers. “Sweet dreams, Kadie, darlin’.”

She stared after him, her fingertips pressed to her lips as he walked away. They had been lovers. It was a thought that kept her tossing and turning far into the night.