As soon as he had reserved the car, he and Jennifer headed up to their room to get their things. Jennifer and Jonathan both changed clothes and they were back downstairs in 10 minutes.

Jonathan handed Jack a wad of bills and told him they would see him Sunday morning sometime.

They headed to the car, and Jonathan loaded their bags.

"Jonathan, I think you better let me drive, just in case it starts snowing while we are driving".

"Fine".

She expertly got them through the D.C. traffic, by taking back roads. Before he knew it, they were on the interstate, heading out of D.C.

"Where exactly are we headed?"

"My father lives in Hill Haven, Maryland. It's only about 40 minutes from D.C., and it's where I grew up. He told me I could stay there this weekend if I wanted. Unfortunately, he's in Germany, so it will be kind of lonesome. But it's free, and it won't be crowded".

"That's very kind of him to offer his house".

"I'm his favorite child".

"How do you know that?"

"I have no siblings".

"Interesting".

It started to snow as they drove, and Jonathan was impressed by how expertly she handled it as the drove along.

She pulled them down a long, two-lane road, with large estates on both sides of the road.

"Does everyone who lives out here have huge estates like this?"

"Yes. This is horse country. Most of these places are horse farms".

She slowed down, and then pulled onto a driveway, and rolled the window down and punched in a code.

The gate opened, and they made their way down a long driveway. As they got to the stables, a man stepped out and flagged them down.

"Hey Miss Jennifer. I'm glad you're here. I put out enough food for the horses for tomorrow and set the timer to feed them first thing in the morning. They all have warm blankets and fresh hay, so they should be good to go for the night and most of tomorrow".

"Thank you, Mark, I appreciate it".

"Yes ma'am. If you go riding, don't take Angel Wings-she doesn't have her winter hooves, but she won't let us put them on her".

"Got it. Drive safely, roads aren't too bad yet".

"Yes ma'am".

They continued to the house, and parked. Jonathan got their bags out of the trunk while Jennifer unlocked the door.

They came inside and Jennifer started turning on some lights.

Jonathan set their bags down at the bottom of the stairs.

"Nice place".

"Thank you".

He followed her to the kitchen, where she found a note from her dad.

Jennifer, sweetheart. I hope you are here enjoying the house. It's supposed to be cold, so you might need to build a fire. There's fresh wood stacked on the back patio and more in the garage and on the side porch. Space heaters upstairs are in each closet, and downstairs in the study and foyer closets. Stay warm, sweetheart, and I'll see you soon. Love, Pa.

There was another note from Walter.

Check the freezer. Sorry we missed you. Walter.

She immediately checked the freezer and found that he had made several of her favorite meals.

"Oh yay!"

"What is it?"

"My dad has this guy, Walter, who cooks for him, cleans for him, drives him around. He's been with him forever, since I was a little girl. Anyways, he made some of my most favorite meals and stocked the freezer and the fridge just in case I got to come here this weekend".

"How kind of him".

"Yeah, it is. Let's see, for dinner, we can have a pasta dish, or we can grill out".

"Why don't we grill out? We can save the frozen stuff for tomorrow in case the snow comes".

"Good idea".

She opened the fridge.

"We have steaks and chicken breasts".

"We can do both."

He started looking through the cabinets and got out some spices and seasoned both the chicken and the steaks.

He set a timer on the microwave.

"Ok, where's your grill?"

"Out on the back porch. I'll show you".

She gave him a tour of the house.

"So, this is the dining room, and this is the living room. Down that hallway is my dad's study and his bedroom, and this door leads to the patio".

"Wonderful".

He turned on the grill, while she grabbed some logs for the fireplace.

When he came back inside, he saw her trying to start a fire.

"Here, let me help you".

"Oh, thanks".

He got the fire started and then they sat down on the couch.

"How long do you think it will take for the grill to heat up?"

"Not too long."

As soon as the timer went off, they headed to the kitchen.

She got him a plate, and some tongs, and then she carried the steaks while he carried the chicken out to the patio.

"Do you want French fries, or onion rings?"

"Fries sound good".

"Coming right up".

She went and got the fries started, and then made them drinks.

He brought the steak and chicken in right when the fries were finished.

"Oh, perfect timing".

They made their plates and then they took them to a little room down the hall off the kitchen.

"Where are we going?"

"To the tv room. I always eat in here when Pa is gone".

They got set up and then Jennifer turned on the tv.

She was determined to face the press about her hearing head on. To her surprise, there really wasn't any. A few of the cable networks had picked it up, but it was mainly mentioned on a crawler, and wasn't a news broadcast or anything.

"I'm surprised but also glad I didn't make the prime-time re-broadcasts".

"You know, for what it's worth, I was very impressed with how you handled them today. I felt like they asked you several questions that weren't fair, and like they were trying to break you down and get you to reveal the name of your source, but you held your own. I think the world needs more journalists like you and less journalists like the ones who print lies in the tabloids".

"Thank you. And that's worth a lot to me, by the way".

"It is?" He was shocked that she valued his opinion so much.

"It is. Don't get me wrong, I've had some very good bosses, but as far as the CEO was always concerned, it has always felt like they were only concerned with how much money the paper put in their wallet and didn't ever stop to consider what life was like for us, the ones who do the work. Without us, there would be no paper to read, and I think the majority of the CEO's I've worked under in the past have forgotten that".

"Well, that's where I'm different from most CEO's. I didn't take over Hart Industries, I created it. I started below the bottom, and I busted my ass to make it what it is today. And there are a few key principles that I live by and run my company by-and one of those is that everyone person that comes in contact with my company will be treated with kindness, dignity and respect. That includes employees. If I don't treat my employees well, they won't show up to work. The bottom line matters, but not at the expense of my employees".

"I couldn't agree more".

"So, level with me. How does a journalist find their source?"

"Well, it depends. Sometimes they find you. Sometimes, when you go somewhere official, like the hall of records, or the morgue, they will get to talking with you and they'll slip a piece of info, or maybe they'll slide you a document and tell you to put it away. Sometimes they even say "I'm going to be on my break and I won't be back for 10 minutes. Please don't look in this file". In this case, I contacted someone I know, who had a direct link to Washington, and asked a few questions, and then they told me the answers I was looking for and that would have been it, but then they took everything a step further and called me a few days later and asked me to call them from my apartment and then asked to meet with me and told me what they were going to bring. I knew I couldn't pass it up".

"I see. Did they teach you how to do that in school?"

"Not at all. A large part of my job is trusting my instincts".

"I know what you mean. I depend on my instincts a lot as well".

She took their plates to the kitchen and started cleaning up. He came and helped her and then went and made sure the grill was off.

She went and added some more logs to the fire, and turned on the tv in the living room.

He came and joined her on the couch.

He looked over on the end table and saw a picture.

"Is this you as a kid?"

"Yes. I believe I was 5 years old there, maybe 6. That's my mom in the picture next to me".

"You look just like her".

"Thanks, I think so too".

"Does she live close by?"

"She passed away when I was 12".

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought-"

"It's ok. It's not like it's a secret or anything".

They watched a movie for a little bit, and then she decided to head up to bed.

She walked around and locked up the house and then came back to the living room.

"Ok, I'm going to bed. You can have your pick of any of the rooms upstairs except the first one on the right, where I'll be. Bathroom is second door on the right".

"I'll come up with you, I'm a little tired".

He carried their bags upstairs, and took hers to her room and set it on the bed.

They walked across the hall to the first guest room. She flipped on the lights, and found that her dad had tons of paintings stacked on that bed.

"Oh, sorry. Let's go to the next room".

The next room had no sheets on the bed and no pillows.

"One more".

That room was a bust too. Jennifer was surprised to find that her dad had removed the mattress from the room and had covered the whole room in painter's tarps.

"I can just bunk on the couch".

"That lumpy old thing? Nonsense. You take my room, and I'll sleep in my dad's room".

"I can't put you out of your room, that's not fair".

"It's fine, honest."

"No, no. I'll be fine on the couch".

They walked back to her room.

"Jonathan, that couch is half the size you are. What if we shared my bed? It's king sized, so we'll have plenty of room."

"Sure, that's fine".

She let him take the bathroom first, and changed into a nightgown while he was in there.

He came out in silk pajamas.

"Bathroom's all yours".

"Thank you".

She was only in there a few minutes, and then she came out and climbed into bed.

After making sure they were both comfortable, they turned out the lights.

"Goodnight".

"Goodnight".

While they both kept their distance, they both were lying there wishing the other one would make a move.

***A few hours later***

Outside, the snow was falling rather fast. So fast, in fact that a tree branch fell and snapped a power line, causing the power to go out all along the street that the house was located on.

Jonathan woke up around 3 a.m. because his shoulder was numb. He walked around a little bit in the hall, trying to make sure his shoulder woke up. He crept back to bed and climbed in, realizing the power was out.

He got up and grabbed the quilt on the stool at the end of the bed, and covered them both up.

Jennifer woke up then.

"What are you doing?"

"The power is out. I was just covering us up".

She nodded.

They both fell back to sleep easily.

Sometime in his sleep, Jonathan reached out and put his arm around Jennifer's waist. She never woke up, but she relaxed significantly.

***The next morning***

Jennifer woke up first, and realized that the power was still out. She was surprised to realize that Jonathan had put his arm around her. She was even more surprised to realize that she didn't hate it.

She eased out from under his arm, and headed to the bathroom. She got dressed in warmer clothes and headed downstairs.

She was dying for a cup of coffee.

By her measurement, there was only about 4 inches of snow on the ground. She built another fire, and then pulled the large ottoman over in front of the couch and climbed on and got under a large blanket.

A few minutes later, Jonathan came downstairs.

"Morning".

"Morning".

She pulled the blanket back and offered him some.

"Thank you".

They sat there in front of the fire, chatting about various things, for about an hour. Finally, the power kicked on.

"Oh, thank god. I'm dying for some coffee and a hot shower".

She headed to the kitchen, and made the coffee, and then got out one of the breakfast dishes to prepare.

She headed upstairs and heard him turn the shower off.

She quickly gathered her things and headed to the hall entrance of the bathroom, while he used the bedroom entrance.

After she was dressed and showered, she went downstairs and popped the breakfast dish in the oven, and started getting things ready.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"Well, it depends. I would like to go for a horseback ride, if I can. Do you think we can go back to New York tonight, or do you think we'll have to wait till tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure. Let's see".

He went and turned on the tv and found a weather forecast.

A few minutes later he came back.

"Airport is closed but is expected to re-open tomorrow morning."

"What if we drove home?"

"The storm is moving north east, so if we do, we might get stuck".

"I see".

"Is there something you just have to be home for?"

"No, not at all".

"Great. I'll call Jack and tell him to prepare to fly out tomorrow morning".

"Perfect. Want to go riding with me after breakfast?"

"Sure, that sounds nice".

They had a nice breakfast and then Jennifer went upstairs and started getting bundled up. Thankfully, she kept a nice stash of winter clothes at her dad's, just in case she had to use them while she was there.

When she came downstairs, Jonathan was surprised.

"Is there some secret mall upstairs or something?"

"No, nothing like that. I just keep some winter clothes here in case I ever need them. Come with me, we can find something for you as well".

They went down the hallway towards her dad's room, and she opened a large walk in closet.

She found Jonathan some warm, triple-layer ski pants, a nice fleece pullover and a warm, shear coat.

"That drawer right there, has unopened packages of long underwear, and we have some boots over here. What size are you?"

"14".

She found him a pair of boots and a pair of wool socks, and then showed him to the large guest bath where he could change.

When he came out of the bathroom, she was waiting with scarves and earmuffs and gloves for him.

"Oh, great. I was hoping you would have some of these".

They got all bundled up, and then headed to the stables. The driveway was snowy, but not icy. The yard was crunchy with snow on top. Jonathan was out of his element, because he had never really been in snow before.

She checked on all the horses and then they selected two, and she fastened a coat over top both of the horses before she saddled them. She put boots on all both horses as well.

They had a lovely ride across the pasture and she showed him as much of the property as she could.

After about an hour, they took the horses back to the stables and brushed them and fed them and put them back in their stall.

Jennifer gave the other horses some treats and attention, and then they headed back to the house.

"This is a very lovely estate".

"Thanks. It's funny, I don't see it as an estate. I just see it as home".

They got unbundled and then Jennifer headed to the kitchen. She heated up some appetizers and threw together a few of her favorite things.

Jonathan came and found her a little bit later.

"Hey, I was just about to come find you-do you want stuffed shells for dinner, or southwest chicken and rice?"

"Stuffed shells sound good to me".

"Got it. I made some toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and pickle dip, if you'd like some".

"Oh, that sounds delicious".

They decided to eat in front of the tv again.

Jonathan took one bite of the sandwich and moaned.

"Ok, now listen. I don't mean to brag, but I've eaten meals in 5 star restaurants. And I've never in my life had a toasted ham and cheese sandwich as good as this. What's your secret?"

"The secret is there's no secret. You use thick sliced cheddar, honey ham, and you spread a very thin layer of a good spicy deli mustard on both sides of the ham".

"This is amazing".

"Thank you".

"What's in the pickle dip?"

"Oh, it's very simple. It's just cream cheese, diced pickles, and dried beef cut up."

"I'll have to give this recipe to Max".

"Who's Max?"

"He's kind of like my dad. I grew up in an orphanage. And when I was around 10, they stopped showing me off to adoptive parents, and started teaching me life skills. So, I got a paper route, but because I didn't have a bike, I just picked a corner and sold papers there. And Max came by every morning, bought a paper from me, and sometimes brought me a donut or a bagel. When it turned cold, he made sure I had a coat and gloves, when he saw I had holes in my shoes, he bought me new ones. He really took me under his wing, and taught me a lot. He was really and truly the first person in my life that I can remember trusting. Trust is a huge thing with me-I don't trust a lot of people at all. If I tell you I trust you, that's a big thing. And Max has done more for me than anyone else. He taught me what it means to be a man, he put me through school, and when I got in trouble as a young punk, I called him instead of the nuns. He helped me out, and covered for my ass, and boxed my ears a little bit. And now, as a way to say thank you, he works for me. He's my chauffeur, at times. He cooks for him and I, he takes care of the house. He's literally the only person I know that I can call at any time of day or night and say "I need you" and he'll drop everything to come help me".

"That's wonderful".

"Yeah, it is. Everyone needs a Max in their lives. He's one of a kind. He loves to pay poker, bet on the horses, and collect good recipes. He's a damn good cook, too. He loves a good cigar, and he's so fond of dogs. We don't have one, but he loves dogs."

"He sounds like a very special person".

"He really is".

After they were finished eating, she took their plates to the sink and rinsed them and then ran the dishwasher.

She returned to the tv room and got under the blanket again.

Outside, it was snowing once more.

"So, you testified that you graduated from Gresham Hall in Massachusetts. But you also said you grew up in this house".

"I did. When my mom died, my dad sent me to boarding school, since he travels a lot. So, I went to middle school and high school in Massachusetts and only came home on the breaks".

"I see. I would have never pegged you as a boarding school kid".

"Why not?"

"Boarding school kids always seem so spoiled and so snooty and with their nose in the air. You aren't like that at all".

"I'm spoiled, alright. I just haven't gotten it yet".

"What do you mean?"

"I have a family trust that I get, but I can't get it yet".

"I see. Well, I'm sure it won't change you. You seem pretty grounded".

"Thank you".

They tried to find a movie on tv, but nothing sparked their interest.

Suddenly, Jennifer got an idea.

"Come with me".

They went to the foyer and got all bundled up again, and then they headed outside.

"Oh, you want to go riding again?"

"Nope".

Jennifer leaned down, grabbed some snow and threw it at Jonathan.

"Oh, you're on!"