When Jennifer and Jonathan got back to their tent, he realized right away that someone rummaged through their things. Nothing was glaringly out of place, but his pack wasn't zipped, and he knew for certain he zipped it before he left the tent. Burt warned them about leaving them open, as it was an invitation for snakes to crawl into the dark warmth. Jonathan took Jennifer in his arms so he could whisper in her ear.

"Jennifer, someone went through our things while we were enjoying the night air. I'm going to check to see if anything is missing." She smiled up at him and whispered back, her eyes a little glazed from the Mampoer.

"I didn't bring any of my jewelry with me. It's all back at the hotel with Max." She gave Jonathan a confused look. "Darling, why are we whispering?" He smirked a little at her. Jonathan always found her adorable when she was tipsy.

"Because I don't know if anyone else is listening." She over exaggerated her nod.

"Oh." Jennifer sat on the edge of the double cot while Jonathan looked through their things. Satisfied that nothing was missing, he sat down next to her.

"Why don't we put you to bed?" She giggled a little.

"That's probably a good idea." He got her into her pajamas and under the mosquito netting and covers, then repeated the process for himself. By the time he leaned over for a goodnight kiss, Jennifer was already sound asleep. Jonathan brushed her hair off her cheek, kissed her gently, and nodded off with his wife in his arms.

...

The next morning dawned bright, early, and hot. As they prepared for the day, Jonathan asked how Jennifer felt. She chuckled a bit as she thought about last night.

"I feel fine. Last night I felt fine too, and suddenly my head was spinning." Jonathan looked at her and smiled.

"I could tell when it hit you. You got a case of the giggles by the fire." She lowered her head and sighed. He came over to her and lifted her chin. "Don't worry about it, Darling. You were adorable." She threw her arms around him, and he held her for a few minutes.

"Everyone up in there?" Jennifer turned out of Jonathan's arms, but he kept one arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, come on in, Burt."

"How'd you both sleep last night?" Jonathan looked at his wife, a sly smile on his face.

"We both kind of passed out." He earned a light elbow to the ribs for that. Burt tried not to smile, but failed. Jennifer just shook her head.

"Is everyone already up and gone this morning?"

"Yes. We start early around here."

"Good. There's something I want to talk with you about."

"What's that?"

"Why don't we go outside and get some coffee. I want to make sure no one's around listening."

While the three drank coffee and ate fruit for breakfast, Jonathan filled Burt in on what happened in their tent last night.

"Darryl knows we aren't just here as visiting friends. I had one of my men research the mine, and I have that report with me. Darryl didn't get it back in the pocket I put it in."

Just then one of the Jeeps came barreling up to the camp, dust flying behind it.

"Burt, you need to come quick. There was another explosion. We've got some men trapped."

They all sped to the mine. Once there, Burt sent two men to the closest village to get reinforcements and alert the authorities. After that, he and Jonathan joined the rest of the men in their rescue efforts. Jennifer found a supply of towels and began ripping them into strips for triage. She also located their medical kit, which had limited supplies. Some children were playing nearby, and Jennifer motioned them over. She pointed to the water in her canteen and gave them buckets, which they went off to fill. There was also a tent, so Jennifer went in and laid out the sleeping bags on the ground, since there was only one cot. From what she heard, there might be five or more men trapped in the mine, and she wanted to make sure there was enough room for them all. The children had no more made it back with the water before they got the first man out.

"Put him in the tent." She filled a bowl with water and grabbed a few strips of cloth and a full sized towel. From what she could see, it looked as though he had a few bumps and bruises, but nothing major. She wiped his face with cool water, and gave him a few sips from a canteen. "Do you speak English?" He shook his head. Jennifer thought for a moment. She knew that there were large populations of French speaking people in Africa, like in the Congo. She gave it a try. "Parlez-vous Français ?" He nodded. She smiled at him and spoke to him in a language he understood.

"All right then, don't try to talk right now. I'll be right back. I want to check to see if any others are coming." She gave him another sip of water. As she started to rise, he took her hand.

"Merci."

She saw people everywhere when she came out of the tent. Women were headed toward her, and there were three more men being brought up from the mine. Jennifer showed the women what she was doing, but it seemed as though some of them were well practiced and she gave way to those more suited than herself. She continued to fill water bowls and canteens, all the while keeping an eye out for Jonathan. Jennifer also had the children running between the tent and the mine, making sure that the worker's canteens were kept full. Finally, after several hours, she saw Jonathan and Burt heading toward the tent. Her husband was filthy and bleeding from a gash on his arm, but he was walking toward her, and that was all that mattered.

He walked into her embrace and just held on for a long time.

"Let's take care of that gash on your arm. Come here, sit down." She got him some water and let him talk while she fussed. Another woman tended to Burt.

"Burt said this charge was bigger than the last one. It was detonated in the spot most people would be today. Two men are dead." Jennifer kissed his temple. "While we were digging everyone out, another portion collapsed. We were lucky we didn't lose more." Jennifer watched as the steel entered Jonathan's eyes. His sentences were measured as he tried to keep hold of his temper. "Darryl's gone. He never even went to the mine today." Jonathan clenched and unclenched his good fist. "Burt and I were talking as we dug. He said that Darryl kept trying to buy the mine. He wanted to sell it to one of the bigger mines and turn a profit. The sabotage started after Burt turned him down the second time. Darryl probably figured that Burt would sell the mine for cheap if he lost workers." Jennifer was kneeling on the ground next to Jonathan. She put her arms around him gently and he stroked her hair. "What Burt is doing here is a good thing. Most of his workers are local. They're able to care for their families because of the mine. Darryl didn't care about any of that. He only wanted the money."

Jennifer smiled at her husband. "Darling, Burt reminds me quite a bit of you." Jonathan leaned down and kissed her.

"Jennifer, what would you think if I helped Burt out? If I went in as a silent partner or investor, to help him get back on his feet?" She smiled at him again.

"I think you wouldn't be you if you didn't." He stood up slowly and helped Jennifer to her feet so he could hold her.

"I love you." She laid a sweet kiss on his lips.

"I love you too." Burt came up to them to let them know that Darryl didn't get very far before the police picked him up.

They stayed at the mine to help monitor the injured and to mourn the lost. Over the next few days, Jennifer and Jonathan worked with Burt as he cleaned out the mine of debris and got back to a place where the mine was operational again. They did much of the work themselves, as the community was all in mourning. On Friday night, Jennifer, Jonathan, and Burt attended the wake for the two dead miners, and on Saturday, the customary day for burial, they spent the day, from early morning until night with the villagers. Jonathan paid for both funerals, but there was an abundance of food from friends and family.

By Monday, things were moving forward again, and Jonathan and Burt hammered out a partnership agreement. He also drove the Harts to the wildlife preserve where they spent the day following the caretakers and meeting the animals. At the end of the day, Hart Industries was the major sponsor of the preserve. Due to the lateness of the evening, they chose to spend one more night in the bush before heading back to Gaborone the next day.

When they returned to camp, the fire was going and they could hear the strains of Kagiso's Kora. Jennifer inhaled deeply and leaned against Jonathan's shoulder.

"I think this is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been." Jonathan placed a light kiss on her temple.

They wished everyone a good night and walked to their tent.

As they snuggled under the covers, Jonathan pulled Jennifer as close as he could get her.

"I hope the pictures I took of you trying to give an elephant a bath today turned out." She pillowed her chin in his chest.

"I didn't know you were taking pictures of that." He looked down at her.

"I know. That was half the fun." He couldn't hold his smirk back. "The other half was watching the elephant give you a bath." She laughed fully, and he caught her mouth with a carnal kiss. "You still smell pretty good after almost two weeks in the bush." She was still laughing when he reached over and turned off the lantern.