Married. Jennifer’s head was spinning with the amazing turn of events. She had been headed from London to New York, trying to figure out what on earth had made Jonathan Hart turn on her so fast when she found herself detained by a detective for the second time. Before Jennifer could object, they were riding a horse-drawn carriage through the streets of London. The fact she was now engaged to the very man who had her arrested made her head spin. The last 48 hours had been an unbelievable roller coas...

Jonathan caught Jennifer’s eyes as he hung up the phone. “Well. That went well…”

She walked over to him and hugged him as she started to apologize to him, “I am so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He’s never acted that way before.”

“Oh?” He smiled an impish grin, “You’ve called him from a foreign land and announced you were getting married to a complete stranger before?”

She laughed despite he...

Jennifer slowly opened her eyes, trying to remember where she was… Her head didn’t feel like she had been drinking, but nothing looked familiar, and in her exhaustion, her memory was sketchy at best. As she tried to move, she became aware of the arm draped across her, and then her ears heard the steady breathing behind her.

As her recollection began to fill in the missing pieces, she felt the smile on her face grow. What a day yesterday had been. Truthfully, the last 48 hours had rocke...

Even though she knew what he was referring to, Jennifer turned and looked out the door, following her father’s gaze. Then she smiled as she pulled him into a hug. “We are all exhausted.”

She pulled him away from the door and turned to shut it for the night. Jennifer flipped the lock before turning to face her parents, “You and Momma included. I do not want the people I love to meet under such strained circumstances. Therefore, I stopped at the guest house and got Jonathan an...

It was late when they headed back to the farm, but neither of them was eager to go. Neither wanted the evening to end. It had been a perfect day. Jonathan, eased the Jag on to highway 295, building up to the speed limit. Traffic was nearly nonexistent because of the hour. He shifted the car into fourth gear, and sat back, his arm on the back of the seat.

Jennifer watched him. His handsome features highlighted by the lights of the dash and the light reflected in his eyes made them shine. She was pre...

Dinner with her parents had gone amazingly smooth. Stephen and Suzanne were gracious hosts, and Walter, a fantastic cook. And playing cards with them after provided great insight to the family for Jonathan. Especially when Suzanne had a little too much champagne. The stories she could tell about her little Jenny had them all in tears from laughter.

After, Jonathan and Jennifer went to Stephen’s study for a little while. Jennifer started a fire, and he sat on the floor in front of it, when it ...

The next morning came early. Earlier than it should have. He opened his eyes to find it was still dark. Why wasn’t the sun up yet? Why did that damn phone keep ringing? Jonathan heard Max answer from the kitchen, then make his way to Jonathan’s room and knock on the door.

“Yeah, Max?” he groggily answered.

“Sorry to bother you, Mr. H. Stanley Friesen is on the phone for you.”

“What time is it, Max?”

“It’s 3 am.”

...

During the flight, Jonathan and Stephen sat at the same table he and Jennifer had eaten dinner just a few days before. Jonathan worked on catching Stephen up on the details as he knew them. With Stephen’s history as an art dealer, Jonathan figured he would be a tremendous help in untangling the mess that Warren Keller and Stanley Friesen discovered.

“Warren Keller is one of our restoration experts on staff. Actually,” Jonathan began sidetracking himself, “As a matter of fact...

“Hello?”

Sitting in her father’s study, Jennifer was trying to clear her calendar for the next several months. She wanted to let people know what was going on. One of those people was one of the publishers she worked with over the years. “Andrew Thomas! It’s Jennifer Edwards.”

“Jennifer! It’s so good to hear from you. I have you on my list to call this week. What do you have going on right now? I have a couple of new pieces I need to have writte...

Before turning in for the night, Jonathan opened the package from Andrew Thomas’ office. There was a letter from Andrew, the financial statement detailing all the things his investment to their project had helped them accomplish, and a copy of the magazine with Jennifer’s article. He set aside the paperwork and flipped through the magazine.

It was a four-color run of Progressive Architecture Magazine, which specialized in architecture, design, and technology, not a cheap m...

Waiting by the phone for Jonathan to call became a daily thing. Jennifer laughed at herself. She didn’t wait for a boy to call when she was a teenager, but now, at nearly 30, this guy had turned her world upside down. And she loved it. And she hated it. Mostly she hated waiting. She wanted him close. Here or there, it didn’t matter. Just close to her.

She was lying on the couch, attempting to read a book she had picked up on the last trip she and Suzanne had taken into town. Concentrati...

The men dropped Max back at the condo, grabbed Stephen’s things, and Jonathan and Stephen stopped at Hart Towers before heading to the airport. Stephen walked to a café for some coffee while Jonathan headed into the building. He needed to run something by his secretary before he picked the ladies up. Jennifer was coming to his town, and he needed to make sure he introduced her to certain people. He thought of about 75 couples… 150 people off the top of his head, and he was pretty sure he w...

The group decided to stop at the Ritz first. The ladies wanted to get settled into the suite and freshen up just a bit before they did much sightseeing.

When they walked into the lobby, Jonathan was surprised to find Kimberly there, talking to the concierge. She waved at him, saying to the concierge, “Oh, there he is now…” Turning and moving towards Jonathan, she called, “Mr. Hart! I have great news.”

“Kimberly. What a surprise to find you here.” He t...

Jennifer woke with a joy she had never known before. Memories of last night danced around in her brain, much as the two of them had danced on their living room floor.

Their living room floor.

The thought made her giddy. This man, Jonathan Hart, was continually surprising her. The proposal in London. The flight to Maryland. The proposal at her parents' home, complete with a 3-carat diamond ring. And now, a house.

Maybe mansion was a better word? The brick ranch style home was the brainch...

In the couple hours they had, they picked out a white sofa set for the living room with a cherry coffee table, and a king-size platform bed for their room. Anything else would have to wait until after Jennifer moved in.

“Darling,” she began as they walked out of the furniture store, “Would you mind terribly if I asked you to take us back to the hotel now instead of lunch?”

“No.” He gave her a bit of a pouty look, “disappointed you are leaving me alrea...

“Manning! You old sea dog!” The two men shook hands, and Jonathan turned to the couple, “Susan, Drew, do you know Elliot Manning, a business friend from New York? We used to race sailboats together.”

“Or rather against each other,” Elliot laughed. He faced Susan and Drew, “I don’t believe I have had the pleasure yet.”

“Elliot, this is Mr. and Dr. Kendall. Drew and I have worked some business deals over the years here in LA.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Jennifer wanted to yell. However, she could not get past his name.

“Wait, Elliot?” Jonathan laughed, not removing his arms from her waist. “Do you two know each other?”

“You could say that.” Jennifer turned and looked into his eyes, wondering what this would do to him. “Darling, Elliot, and I dated when I lived in New York. We split about six months ago. Right before I moved to London.”

&ldqu...

From across the floor, Elliot Manning watched as Jennifer Edwards left the bar and made her way through the crowd and out the door. Then he followed. Admittedly, there wasn’t a plan yet. He just wanted to talk to her to apologize for his behavior. Maybe even beg for a second chance if it came to that.

As he neared the doorway, he saw a sight that made his heart stop. He grabbed at the nearest body he could get a hold of without taking his eyes off the men and Jennifer, and in an angry whisper...

Placing the last of the books from the open box on the shelf, Jennifer sat back and surveyed her work. Two more boxes to go. The library was shaping up to be all she had hoped it would be. As a matter of fact, the whole house was nothing shy of perfection. With one noticeable exception… she was here alone.

The wedding was a short two weeks away now, and she knew it would go fast. And yet… it didn’t seem to be going quick enough. The nights at the house alone drug on forever, it se...

She arrived in New York City late Thursday night. “Thank you for a wonderful flight, Leonard,” she said. “Would you like to come to stay with my mother and me at my apartment?”

“Thank you, Ma’am. However, I have family in Brooklyn. I will be staying with them while we are here.” He grabbed a small piece of paper and scribbled a number down. “Call me whenever you are ready to head back. Give me an hour lead time, and I’ll have everything ready to...

Traversing the city sidewalks, Elliot found himself in the middle of Central Park, looking up at the building Jennifer Edwards no longer called home. He couldn’t remember how he had arrived at this place. Physically, he couldn’t remember if he walked or took a cab from the bar he had been drinking in, and figuratively, Elliot couldn’t remember how it was he managed to let Jennifer become his ex-girlfriend.

Watching the dark window, he thought about holding her close as they walked...

The two weeks flew by with her folks in the house with her. It also helped that Jonathan was able to wrap up work enough to take the week of the wedding off as well. With all hands on deck, the group was able to coss most of their to-do list off.

Together, they had moved most of Jonathan’s and Max’s things over from the condo to the house. They had completed much of packing for the honeymoon. In the morning, they would tie up a few loose ends, and Friday, they would have the rehearsal a...

Jennifer, Stephen, and Lieutenant Gillis stood around the condo living room, trying to sort out the details. Max was sitting on the couch, a bag of frozen peas held to his head.

“All we have put together, Lieutenant,” Jennifer tried to make sense of the events. “Is Jonathan and Max were looking at an odd card from yesterday’s mail. Then there was a knock on the door.”

“Do you remember what time that was, Max?”

“Gosh, I would guess around s...

The group headed back into the office to talk with Joe, passing several other boats on the way. Coming out of the marina store, a woman was on her way out with several bags of ice. Max stepped up and held the door for her.

“Thank you!” she sang in a cheery voice.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Max answered.

Jennifer stepped up to the desk, “Thank you for calling us today, Joe. Please keep us informed of anything else you see, or if you see Jonathan at all.”

<...

Stepping back into the church, for one final check, Jennifer was thrilled with how it had all come together. The heart-shaped candelabras at the front of the church, the areas set up for the morning delivery of the flowers, with the glass and wood arches lining the back of the church to create the aisle entry. It was more than she had hoped or dreamed.

Jonathan walked up behind her, sliding his arm around her shoulders and pulling her tight to his chest. “Hey gorgeous, this all looks fabulous...