“Miranda, could we keep driving?”

Do I dare trust this man? Miranda asked herself. Cute guys had been her downfall before. And this one hadn’t behaved like a gentleman thus far. Maybe he really was in trouble, but helping him could endanger her, too. Still, he had that tattoo on his palm…

“What’s the story behind that tattoo?”

“I got it to honor Mother Earth. And my own mother as well—she was a dedicated environmentalist. She died two years ago. It’s sort of a talisman, too, I guess.

I’d hoped it would help me grow the best grapes in California.”

Miranda eased the car onto the highway. The whole reason for taking this journey was to have an adventure, she reminded herself. Be careful what you ask for!

“One more question. Why did you abduct me?”

Eli laughed. “If you’re going to kidnap somebody, it might as well be a beautiful woman.”

* * *

As San Francisco diminished in the rearview mirror, Eli pulled out his cell phone.

“Sybil, I’m in trouble. I need a place to hide out for a while… just north of the city… with a friend… thanks, see you soon.”

“Who’s Sybil?” Miranda asked.

“My mother’s best friend. She’s known me all my life, literally. She assisted at my birth.”

“Where are we going?”

“Mendocino. You’ll like it. It’s really pretty and low key.”

On the drive up the California coast, Miranda told Eli about her life as an artist in the historic Witch City. He told her more than she wanted to know about armillaria mellea root fungus, cylindrocarpon, “black goo,” and the other perils of the wine industry. The technical aspects of his work didn’t interest her much, but she admired his passion and his tenderness when he spoke of his beloved grapevines. Would he demonstrate such passion and tenderness toward a woman? she wondered.

The crescent moon smiled in an indigo sky as they turned into Sybil’s driveway.