***The Harts***
Jennifer Hart was at home, in the study, working on an article. She was so deep in the zone, she didn't even hear the phone ringing.
Max picked up on the 4th ring, and then came and told her it was for her.
"Thanks, Max".
She picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Is this Jennifer Hart?"
"Yes, it is".
"The Jennifer Hart that's married to Jonathan Hart, the big business tycoon?"
"Yes, how can I help you?"
She was trying to recognize the man's voice, but she couldn't place it.
"It's not really how you can help me. It's more about how you can help yourself. Your husband has been a slight bit, shall we say, stubborn, in regards to a property deal we have proposed to him 5 times. Tell him to wise up, or it just might be you that pays the price".
"I beg your pardon!"
Click.
She immediately hung up and yelled for Max.
"Yes, Mrs. H.?"
"Make sure all the doors are locked. And see if you can get that number that just called here. That person just threatened me and I'm calling Jonathan".
"Yes, Mrs. H."
She quickly dialed Jonathan's number.
"Hello, Hart Industries, how can I help you?"
"Deanne, hi. It's Jennifer. I need to speak to Jonathan, please".
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hart. He's on a conference call. I can have him call you as soon as he hangs up".
"That would be wonderful. And do me a favor-don't let anyone in his office until after he talks to me, ok? I promise you I have a good reason for that. Can you tell me who he's on the phone with?"
"Yes ma'am. He's on a conference call without about 12 other businessmen and women in regards to manufacturing parts for airplanes".
"Ok perfect. So, if you can have him call me right away, and not let anyone in to see him before he does, I would appreciate it. And I'm at home".
"Yes, Mrs. Hart".
"Thank you, so much".
She hung up just as Max was coming into the study.
"Great news, Mrs. H. Not only did I get the number, but I've been recording the calls in case my nephew calls with his picks for the track. I forgot to hit stop and well, it recorded your whole conversation".
"Wonderful. That's very helpful".
"What did Mr. H. have to say?"
"Nothing yet. He's on a conference call. He should be calling back as soon as he's finished. I'll make sure to answer the phone when it rings, and you don't have to record this one".
"Got it, Mrs. H."
She sat down and tried to get back to work, but she found it hard to concentrate. She kept hearing that man say "it just might be you that pays the price".
About 10 minutes later, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey gorgeous. Deanne said you wanted to talk to me and sounded frantic".
"Yes, I'm so glad to hear your voice. Darling, I just got a phone call here at the house, and I'll spare you the long, boring details because Max ended up recording the call. But, long story short, the man on the phone threatened me. He said I should convince you to stop being stubborn in regards to a property deal that you've been approached about 5 times, or I just might be the one to pay the price".
"Did he say anything else?"
"No, he hung up."
"What did you do next?"
"Had Max write down the number, lock all the doors and windows, and called your office and asked Deanne to make sure nobody came into your office until I could talk to you".
"Good thinking. I tell you what, have Max bring the tape recorder to me, with you. And the number".
"Ok, we'll see you in a few".
"Actually, wait. I'm going to send the car service for you. It might not be safe to leave the house unattended".
"Got it".
"I love you".
"I love you too".
She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone, and headed to fill Max in.
"I'm going to go freshen up, Max. I'll be right back down".
"Got it, Mrs. H."
She ran upstairs and quick as lightning, freshened up and made sure she was presentable, and then came back downstairs.
A few minutes later, the car service pulled up.
Jonathan rang the house just as they were coming through the gate.
Jennifer picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hi darling. Give the phone to Max. I'll see you in a few minutes".
"Ok".
She handed the phone to Max.
"Max, the car service driver is a guy named Travis Dennison. Ask to see his ID, and then tell me his birthday".
"Yes, Mr. H."
Just then, Travis knocked on the door.
Jennifer opened it.
"Hi, I'm here to pick up a Mrs. Jennifer Hart".
"That's me".
"Uhh, before you go, can I see some ID please?"
"Certainly".
Max looked the ID over.
"Mr. H., his birthday is June 12, 28 years ago".
"Perfect Max, thank you".
Max hung up.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hart is just overly cautious sometimes".
Max handed the ID back to Travis and he and Jennifer got in the car.
"I'll be here when you get back, Mrs. H."
"Thanks, Max".
***Hart Industries***
The Car service pulled Jennifer up to the doors of the building, and the head of security was there to escort her.
"Thank you, Travis".
"My pleasure, Ma'am. If I may, are you a celebrity or something?"
"I'm an ordinary citizen with a very sweet and protective husband".
"Got it. Have a nice day, ma'am".
The head of security opened the door for her to the building.
"Thank you, Marshall".
"My pleasure".
He rode in the elevator with her, and then walked her all the way to the doors of Jonathan's office.
Deanne opened the door, and showed them in.
"Thank you, Marshall. Thank you, Deanne".
Jennifer immediately went to Jonathan.
He wrapped her in a big hug and gave her a kiss.
"I'm fine, I promise. Just a little frightened".
He kissed her again and then they sat down on the couch.
She pulled the tape player out of her purse.
They listened to all the calls and finally heard the last one.
"What property deal is he talking about?"
"I'm not positive. Hart Industries isn't in any talks to purchase any property. But I have been approached by a real estate agent to sell them our ranch, and I have refused every single offer".
"Good, it's not for sale."
"That's exactly what I told them".
"5 times?"
"Yes. And the last time, I told the realtor that he should give it up, I would never sell the ranch".
"How did he take it?"
"Not well. He cussed me, told me I wasn't going to ruin his plans and hung up".
Jonathan reached over and buzzed Deanne.
"Yes, Mr. Hart?"
"Please send Stanley to my office".
"Yes, Mr. Hart".
"Darling, what are you thinking?"
"Long term-keeping you by my side every minute of the day. Short term-I'm going to have Stanley trace the number".
"Jonathan, I get that you want to protect me. And I love that you do. It's one of my favorite things about you, honest. But keeping me by your side 24 hours a day isn't going to be enjoyable for either of us".
"What if we make it enjoyable?"
"What are you suggesting?"
"Well, in the first phone call from the realtor, he asked me if we ever thought about selling it. And I said no. Conversation ended pretty quick after that. But in the second phone call, he asked me if we ever used the ranch and told me that he would pay me top dollar for it, so that we could buy something similar closer to home. So, what if I put Stanley in charge, and you and I go spend a month or so, out at the ranch? You can bring your work, I can bring some projects I want to dive into, and we can spend our days riding horses, or laying in the hammock".
"Do you think whomever this is has been watching the ranch and knows if we are there or not?"
"I think it's a high possibility. And I think once Stanley traces the number, I can have my legal team send them a cease and desist. But you and I do have an anniversary coming up, so what if we spend it at the ranch?"
"I'm game if you are".
There was a soft knock on the door just then.
"You wanted to see me, Mr. Hart?"
"Yes, Stanley. Come on in".
He turned to Jennifer.
"Darling, do you have that number?"
"Yes, it's right here".
He handed it to Stanley.
"Can you trace this number, please? I want to know everything that you can find out about this person, as soon as you can find it out, please".
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you, Stanley".
Stanley left them alone in the office.
"Darling, in light of the fact that Max was recording the phone calls, I think you and I should keep our….special….calls strictly to the personal bedroom number".
"Not a bad idea. Why is he recording our calls?"
"He said his nephew is calling with his numbers for the track, and he wanted a backup in case he forgot them".
"Got it. Darling, we already keep our special calls to the bedroom line".
"Most of the time. The last two were on the main line".
"Oh. Yeah".
"I love our special calls".
"Me too".
He gave her a few kisses.
"Jonathan…if I'm being honest, I'm more than a little frightened about this".
"I know, darling. Me too. But I promise you, I'll hire you a 100 security guards to surround you at all times, if that's what it takes. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear it".
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a few minutes.
Stanley came back a few minutes later.
"Mr. Hart, I traced this number. It belongs to a payphone on the corner of 5th and Wilshire. I traced a few calls, and they are all random, sir. No pattern at all, no repeating numbers. The call to your home was the shortest one in weeks".
"Thank you, Stanley. You can abandon that task. And while you're in here, I'm putting you in charge for the next month, to start. Jennifer and I are going to take an extended sabbatical".
"Thank you, Mr. Hart. Enjoy your trip".
"Thank you. I won't be totally out of the loop, I'll call and check in. But I want you to handle things the way you see fit, and if you get any calls or paperwork about Jennifer and I selling any of our property, or about Hart Industries selling any property, don't sell it. Table it till I return".
"Yes, Mr. Hart".
Jonathan gathered a few things, and then he and Jennifer headed home, hand in hand the whole way.
***Willow Pond***
Jonathan pulled them up in front of the house, and parked. He and Jennifer went inside and immediately went upstairs to pack.
"Max, we are going to the ranch for a month. Might be there longer. Great idea you had on recording the calls. Keep it up".
"Thanks, Mr. H."
He handed him the tape recorder.
"Do you want to come with us, Max?"
"Not just yet. With you two's gone, I can give this place a good deep clean".
"Oh, great idea".
They were packed in just over an hour.
They loaded the car up, and Jennifer quickly made a list of what they would need to purchase for the month.
"Ok, Max, we are heading out. We'll be in touch".
"Safe travels, you two".
"Thanks, Max".
They had an easy drive, and only had to stop a few times. 5 hours later, they arrived at their ranch.
It was too dark to see if everything was ok, so they agreed to check out the inside and then survey the ranch in the morning.
Jennifer put the groceries away while Jonathan carried their luggage in and checked out the house.
"Darling, don't forget-we have the freezer in the carport we can use as well".
"Yes, we do. Great idea".
The ranch hands had the duty of collecting the mail that sporadically came and dropping it through the slot in the front door. Jonathan went and collected it and started going through it.
"Darling, we have a notice about ordering meat in bulk."
"Oh? Are the prices good?"
"Yeah, they are actually. They are very reasonable. We can get a ½ of a cow, cut into strip steaks, and 6 whole chickens cut into breasts and tenders and thighs, as well as some fresh pork and fresh bacon for a little over $200".
"Well, let's call him tomorrow. We can load up the freezer and take home with us what we don't eat".
"Good idea".
He came over and kissed her cheek.
"I love it when you're smart, which by the way, is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week".
"Well, thank you".
After they were settled, they turned out the lights and headed to bed.
They snuggled up and held each other for a few moments before they fell asleep.
"Goodnight, I love you".
"Goodnight, I love you too".
***The Next Morning***
Jennifer woke up to the smell of fresh coffee, so she got up and followed the smell to the kitchen.
"Morning".
"Morning. Coffee is ready".
"Thank you".
She leaned up to kiss him and then poured herself a cup.
"What do you want for breakfast?"
"Whatever you want".
"Hmmm….how about bacon and eggs?"
"That sounds amazing".
She cooked the bacon while he cooked the eggs and then they sat down to eat.
"So, first thing this morning, I'm going to take the Jeep to get a tune-up, and I'm going to stop and order the meat package. When I get back, we can go riding if you want".
"I would love that. Why don't I come with you to run those errands?"
"Sure, if you want".
Jennifer did the dishes when they finished eating, and then quickly started a grocery list.
"In a few days, we'll need to make a run to the grocery store".
"We can definitely do that".
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and started kissing her neck.
"Back in Los Angeles, I would be getting ready to make a special phone call to you".
She turned around and kissed him.
"Well, I tell you what. What if you give me the live-action play-by-play instead?"
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her again.
"You know something? You still drive me just as wild as you did when we first met all those years ago".
"14".
"14 what?"
She looked at him like she was momentarily angry.
"14 years, darling. 14 years of wedded bliss".
"The best 14 years of my life".
Before she could say anything further, he picked her up and carried her back to bed, kissing her the whole way there.