Desire After Dark. Amanda Ashley

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      Vicki woke in the morning after a restless night. Her dreams had been filled with mysterious visions of figures swathed in black cloaks moving through dark shadows, of wolves howling beneath a bloodred moon, of a hooded man, his fangs glistening as he bent over her throat, of a blue-eyed cat and a yellow-eyed cat engaged in a brutal, bloody fight to the death.

      She tried to shake off the disturbing images while she showered but to no avail, until she thought of Antonio’s kiss the night before. That memory drove everything else from her mind. Where on earth had the man learned to kiss like that? It was like no kiss she had ever known before, dark and wild and filled with a deep hunger that had frightened and aroused her at the same time. Just thinking about it now sent a rush of heat through her, made her yearn to be in his arms again, to feel his mouth moving over hers…

      Jerking her thoughts away from where they were headed, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.

      It was Friday and she had things to do before she went to work. She dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Going into the kitchen, she whipped up some French toast and ate it while she read the morning paper, relieved to see that there had been no killings the night before, at least not in this part of the county.

      After breakfast, she brushed her teeth, then slipped on a pair of sandals, grabbed her handbag and her keys, and drove into town. She had always loved Pear Blossom Creek, with its wide, tree-lined streets. She loved it that she knew just about everyone in town. She waved at Ned, who was coming out of 31 Flavors with his sons. Vicki smiled, looking forward to the day when she would have kids of her own. Of course, she needed to find a husband first. Maybe she needed to put an ad in the paper. She laughed at that as she imagined what people would say.

      She picked up her cleaning, filled the car with gas, returned her books to the library, and then stopped to chat with old Mrs. Heath, who was outside watering her garden.

      Ramona Heath was ninety if she was a day and as spry as a teenager. She lived alone in a small red brick house on the corner of Fifth and Main. Gardening was her hobby and her passion and her gardens were the talk not only of Pear Blossom Creek but also of all the surrounding counties. Aside from a veritable jungle of flowers, Mrs. Heath grew the largest squash and pumpkins in the county. She also grew enough garlic to stock every store in the state. She had the plants growing under all her windows and in pots on either side of the front and back doors of the house.

      Mrs. Heath also claimed to have the power of sight. Vicki didn’t believe in such things, yet Mrs. Heath had predicted far too many events that had come to pass far too often for her predictions to be mere coincidence. Mrs. Heath also believed in ghosts and spirits and claimed to have spoken to her deceased husband during a séance. Her other quirk was that she never went outside alone after sundown. Ever.

      Mrs. Heath turned off the hose and invited Vicki inside. As always, Vicki was amazed by the amount of clutter in the older woman’s house. There were magazines and newspapers everywhere. Vicki thought Mrs. Heath must be the most well-informed woman in Pear Blossom Creek. She subscribed to newspapers from just about every major city this side of the Missouri. In addition to the papers, there were plants and knickknacks and books on every available surface. A large crucifix hung over the fireplace.

      Vicki followed Ramona into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

      “Did you see the moon last night?” Mrs. Heath asked as she poured Vicki a glass of lemonade. “It was red.”

      “Red?”

      Mrs. Heath nodded as she cleared a chair of a pile of newspapers and sat down. “As blood. And I heard a wolf howl.”

      Vicki shivered. “A wolf? Are you sure?”

      Mrs. Heath nodded again.

      Vicki knew there were wolves out in the country near Hellfire Hollow, but she had never heard of one coming into town. “It was probably just a dog howling.”

      “No, dear. It was a wolf. I’m going to call Neddie later and let him know.”

      Vicki grinned. Mrs. Heath was the only one who could call Ned Williams by his childhood nickname and get away with it.

      “So, dear,” Mrs. Heath said, “have you found yourself a young man yet?”

      “Not СКАЧАТЬ