“Would you like more wine?” asked Tyler, pouring himself a healthy measure. “Or are you hungry? Would you rather have something to eat?”
“I’d really would like to go outside and get some air,” said Zoe.
“Why?”
“I’d just like to get a look at where I’m apparently going to be living for a while,” Zoe lied. “If you think I’m going to make a run for it, you could always put a leash on me and let me explore the place like your favorite retriever. You can pet me all you want, scratch my ears, and if you do I just may wag my tail.”
Zoe smiled at the thought and extended an open palm toward his face.
He leapt back, grabbed her wrist, stopping the movement.
“Don’t be so jumpy, Tyler. I was only going to stroke your cheek. Do you know why? Because I actually like you. I may even be beginning to feel the same way about you as you say you do about me. You’re one of the best-looking and most unusual men I’ve ever met. And I was truly upset when you told me how your father mistreated your mother and how terribly he injured you.”
“You’re lying,” he said. Still, there was a touch of uncertainty in his voice as he spoke those words.
“No, I’m not lying, Tyler. I promise you I’m not. Would I have let you make love to me in the shower like you did if I didn’t find you both handsome and desirable? You’re a very interesting and complex man. And a sexy one as well.”
“I could have raped you.”
“But you didn’t have to. I wanted you.”
“Are you saying that you love me?”
“No. Too soon for that. But I am saying that given enough time to, I might learn to love you. But only if you let me get close enough to who you really are.”
“Even though I kidnapped you and brought you here against your will?”
Zoe allowed a deep chuckle to escape from her throat. “I would have preferred getting to know you without that happening. But given time, I think we can get past that. Put it behind us. After all, I have just broken off a previous long-term relationship. So in that regard your timing couldn’t have been better.”
Bradshaw studied Zoe’s face, as if trying hard to figure out if there was any truth to the things she was saying or if she was just screwing with his mind. “All right. Let’s go outside,” he said. “I’ll show you the property and maybe even my workshop.” He went to the hall closet and grabbed his army field jacket off a hanger and put it on. He rummaged among other garments and found a black leather jacket more or less her size. “Here, put this on. It’s a little cold out.”
Zoe did. It was little big but it would do for her purposes. She wondered who the original owner might have been. Jacobs? Wingfield? “This feels cozy.”
“I bought it just for you.”
Zoe put her hands out. “Do you want me to wear handcuffs? Or a dog collar?”
“No. I think we’ll forgo those for the moment. I’m pretty sure I can catch you if it comes to that.”
“I’m very fast.”
“So I’ve noticed. But then so am I.”
Bradshaw grabbed a flashlight from the closet shelf, flicked a light switch, and a set of outdoor floods came on illuminating everything within fifty yards of the house. He punched in the lock code, applied his thumb and opened the door.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Just around the property.” Zoe started walking, sucking in deep breaths of fresh, cool night air. Just being able to breathe like that and not being forced to wear the flex cuffs felt liberating. “Ummm. The air smells wonderful. I love October. Where are we?”
“What do you mean?”
“What town? What state?”
“In Connecticut.”
“Where in Connecticut?”
“Why does it matter? Are you planning to signal for help?”
Zoe smiled. “The thought crossed my mind.”
Bradshaw took her hand and held it as he led her to the left toward the tennis court and swimming pool. She let her thumb gently stroke the top of his hand and her eyes examine the top of the tree line, hoping to see if there were lights from any other houses. Sadly, she saw none.
“No neighbors?” she asked.
“No one very close. We have over a hundred acres here. And most of the houses nearby are just weekend places for people who live in the city.”
“Did you play on this court?” she asked.
“Not since I was a kid.”
“Did you play with friends?”
“I didn’t have many friends. Mostly played with my father. But only until I got to the point where I could beat him. Then he didn’t want to play anymore.”
“Were you telling the truth about being an entertainment lawyer?”
“Why are you asking?”
“I’d just like to know a little more about you. It’s not every day a man I barely know tells me he loves me.”
“Yes. I was an entertainment lawyer but I haven’t worked for a few years now. I have plenty of money.”
“Well, that would be nice, but what do you do with yourself? Other than going to the theater twelve nights in a row?”
“And kidnapping the female lead?”
“Yes. Other than that.”
“Come with me. I’ll show you my other passion.”
Still holding her hand, Bradshaw led her toward the barn. They went in and he turned on the lights.
“This is my workshop. My retreat. The one place where I can feel fully whole.”
Zoe looked around. The barn was all one large open space with dusty wide-plank walls and floors, and heavy rough-hewn beams supporting the ceiling. To Zoe’s left was the black SUV he’d used to bring her here. To her right, a large open space filled with worktables and woodworking tools. All manner of saws, files and chisels. And some cutting tools like Zoe had never seen before. None of the tools were hidden. None of them locked away. All of them potentially deadly weapons. But none of them easily purloined. At least not at the moment.
Along the far wall were tree stumps and blocks of raw wood. “Did you cut down those trees yourself?”
“Yes. We have some walnut and cherry and, of course, plenty of maple and oak. But sometimes I’ll buy more exotic woods, mostly for my sculpture.”
Zoe let her eyes roam across an array of handcrafted sculptures of birds, figures, and abstract forms. She picked up one highly stylized sculpture of a woman that looked like a cross between a Modigliani painting and a primitive African figure.
“This is exquisite. Are you saying you carved this yourself? From raw wood?”
“Yes. I made everything here. That’s one of my favorite pieces that you’re holding.” His smile was almost shy. “It reminds me of you.”
Zoe wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
The smile broadened. “Would you like it? As a gift?”
“I’d love to have it. May I take it back to New York?”
There was a pregnant pause. “For the moment, I think we’ll just take it back to the house. You can put it in your room.”
“Well, thank you. It’s a lovely gift.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
He pulled her closer to him and kissed harder, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth. As Zoe returned the kiss, she found herself wondering how much longer she could keep her performance going.
She pulled back and said, “Let’s go back to the house and have something to eat, and perhaps another glass or two of that delicious wine.”