In Love with John Doe (2 page)

The words had barely left her lips when Rachel breezed into the room. Her gaze slid from Lexi to John. “What’s the verdict? Where’s your new home?”

“It’s seems,” John said, bestowing that hundred-watt smile on the pretty nurse, “that there are no rooms at any of the inns.”

Rachel’s eyes widened. She turned to Lexi. “Seriously?”

Lexi raked a weary hand through her hair. “It’s the storm. Travelers who were going to move on decided to stay. Others who were passing through stopped and got their rooms early.”

Rachel’s cornflower-blue eyes began to dance. “Surely there has to be
some
place that wants him.”

“Hey, I’m right here in the room,” John shot back. “Thanks for making me feel like a loser.”

The two laughed and Lexi felt a twinge of something that felt an awful lot like jealousy, but couldn’t be.

Still, the nurse looked especially pretty today. Lexi wondered if John preferred blondes. Not that his taste in women mattered to her. Besides, for all anyone knew he could be married with a couple of kids.

“I’ve got an idea.” Rachel turned to Lexi. “What about Wildwoods?”

Lexi shook her head. “When I left for work this morning, all the rooms and cabins were full.”

“Mrs. Landers had been staying in the lodge while her husband was here,” Rachel said. “The doctor dismissed him early this morning and they headed for home.”

“Wildwoods?” John cocked his head.

“It’s the B and B where Lexi lives,” Rachel said. “Just outside of Wilson. About ten miles from here.”

John’s brows pulled together. He shifted his gaze to Lexi. “You live at a bed-and-breakfast?”

“That’s right,” Lexi said easily. “And I cook there on the weekends, too.”

When she’d been a little girl standing on a stepstool helping her mother prepare meals, she’d never imagined the skills she’d learned would come in so handy. In exchange for low rent she prepared gourmet meals on weekends and holidays. It cost a lot to live in Jackson Hole and a social worker’s salary only went so far.

“Sounds like you’re a busy woman.” John’s gaze lingered. Instead of pity or condescension she saw admiration and something else. The pure masculine appreciation lighting his dark eyes took her by surprise. It had been a long time since a man had looked at her that way.

“So, are you going to call Coraline?” Rachel asked.

“Right now,” Lexi said.

Coraline Coufal, the owner and proprietor, answered on the second ring. Lexi explained the situation and then held her breath. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or distressed when she learned there was one room still available.

“We’ll take it.” Lexi flipped her phone shut and smiled at John. “Congratulations. Somebody wants you after all.”

“If you did, I’d be in trouble. Hospital policy dictates you get picked up here.” A brisk north wind slapped them in the face. Rachel shoved her hands into her coat pockets and shivered. “There’s her car now.”

An older model Subaru pulled up and stopped. The nurse reached for the door handle, but he’d had enough coddling the past twenty-four hours to last a lifetime.

“I’ve got it.” He opened the back hatch and tossed his duffel bag inside before shifting his attention back to Rachel. He held out his hand. “Thanks for everything.”

“Four words of advice.” Her mittened hand closed around his. “No more back country.”

“Don’t worry.” John laughed. “I learned my lesson.”

He opened the car door and slid into the front seat.

Lexi cast him a curious glance. “What did Rachel say that was so funny?”

“She told me no more open gates.” He snapped his seat belt in place. “No worries on that account. It was my first time and it will definitely be my last.”

The moment the words left his lips, he paused.

Lexi pulled out onto the street in front of the hospital and cast him a sideways glance. “You remember going through the gate?”

He nodded as the memory unfurled. “I stopped and read the sign.”

“Was anyone with you?”

“I don’t know.” He leaned against the seat and closed his eyes against the sudden pain in his head.

Memories were there—fragmented images that made little sense and gave no insight into his past, hovering just out of reach, taunting him.

“The memory may not be as much as you hoped for,” Lexi said, almost as if she’d read his mind and sensed his frustration. “But it’s definitely a start. My father used to say that sometimes you have to start with baby steps to reach a goal.”

John latched on to the change in topic. At this point trying to pluck anything from the inky darkness of his mind was pointless. “Your father sounds like a wise man.”

“A wonderfully wise man.” Lexi’s lips lifted into a smile that lit up her entire face.

“Tell me about him,” John urged.

“Why?”

He glanced out the window. Snow already covered the sidewalks and streets in a thin blanket of white. “Perhaps hearing stories about your father will jog some memories of my own family.”

“My mother died of cancer when I was twelve.” Lexi kept her eyes on the highway and the blowing snow. “I was an only child and we were very close. I didn’t know how I could go on without her.”

He could almost feel her pain. Had he ever experienced such a devastating loss? It didn’t feel like it, though he couldn’t be sure.

“After the funeral, I didn’t want to get out of bed,” Lexi continued, her eyes hooded. “But my father told me we’d get through this together. We’d take it one day at a time. He made me attend school. He forced himself to work. We went through the motions until we both felt like living again.”

“Sounds like a great guy.”

She sighed. “He was.”

Perhaps it was simply an error, but he noticed she’d used the past tense.
“Was?”

“He was killed in a car accident five years ago.” Lexi’s voice was matter-of-fact but her fingers had the steering wheel in a death grip. “Icy roads.”

“Did it happen around here?”

“In Ohio.” Lexi shook her head. “That’s where I’m from originally.”

“Jackson Hole is a long ways from Ohio.” John kept his tone light. “How’d you end up here?”

“The job brought me here. I’d never been to Wyoming, but once my dad was gone there was nothing keeping me in Ohio.” Lexi smiled. “Enough about me. Tell me what you remember about
your
family.”

“Absolutely nothing.” He leaned back in his seat and massaged the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

Lexi slanted him a sideways glance. “Headache?”

He shrugged. “Comes and goes.”

“It’s not much farther,” Lexi said. “You look so good it’s easy to forget what you’ve been through.”

She thinks I look good.
For some reason the thought buoyed his flagging spirits.

Lexi turned the car onto a graveled drive and John’s gaze was drawn to the large log home at the base of the mountain, tucked away in a forest of trees.

“Is that Wildwoods?”

Lexi smiled. “Home sweet home.”

“It’s huge,” John said.

“It’s pretty big.” A smile tipped the corners of Lexi’s lips. “Last summer we began doing weddings.”

“Weddings?” Unexpectedly and without warning, an image of him in a tux standing in front of an altar filled with flowers surfaced. But it was gone so quickly he couldn’t be sure it ever existed.

“Destination weddings are all the rage and you couldn’t ask for a more beautiful venue,” she said. “In the summer the wildflower garden is perfect for outdoor ceremonies. We also do quite a few inside in the great hall. Most of those couples exchange vows in front of the stone fireplace.”

Her expression turned dreamy and the attraction he’d felt at the hospital slammed into him with all the subtlety of a ton of bricks. However, for all he knew this woman he found so attractive could have a boyfriend or be married. And…so could he.

“How does your husband like living at a bed-and-breakfast?” he asked in a casual tone.

“I’m not married.”

“Divorced?”

“Never married.”

“I’m surprised.” He was also relieved, but saw no reason to mention that fact. “A woman as pretty as you…I’d have thought you’d have been snatched up long ago.”

“I’m too busy to date.” Lexi pulled the car to a stop in a small parking lot adjacent to the side of the house.

John glanced out the window, but the blowing snow made it difficult to see much. “Looks like we got here just in time.”

“I’m glad I got off at noon.” Two lines of worry appeared between her brows. “If it continues falling at this pace, we’re going to have a real blizzard on our hands.”

“I guess that means we better get inside.” He leaned over the seat and grabbed the bag stuffed with underwear, jeans, shirts, sweaters…and all the necessary toiletries.

He’d tried to give the older woman who’d brought the bag to his room some money for the items. She’d refused to take anything from him, but her warm generosity wouldn’t be forgotten. He’d find a way to repay the hospital auxiliary for their kindness.

Lexi secured the top button on her coat and pushed open the door. “Race you to the front door.”

John shoved open his own door and ducked his head. The wind blew sideways with such force it made walking difficult and running impossible. Though he didn’t want to overstep, when Lexi slipped and almost fell, he took her arm. The heels she wore were more suited to a night on the town than a slick walkway.

She smiled her thanks and he tightened his hold as together they climbed the steps of the massive porch. They’d barely reached the front door when it flew open.

A middle-aged woman with salt-and-pepper hair and a worried expression motioned them inside. “I’m so glad you left when you did. They just announced on the radio that the roads in and out of Jackson have been closed.”

“The snow isn’t the only problem,” Lexi said. “It’s the ice under the snow and the visibility that makes driving treacherous.”

The woman hung their coats on an elaborately carved coat-tree in the spacious foyer and she and Lexi spent a couple more minutes discussing the weather. John lifted his gaze, taking in the high open ceilings and the large windows.

“How’s Addie?” Lexi asked.

“Much better,” Coraline said. “Whatever she had must have been one of those twenty-four-hour bugs.”

John wondered if Addie was yet another patient from the hospital. Whoever she was, by the look of relief on Lexi’s face, it was apparent she’d been worried about her.

“By the way, I’m Coraline Coufal.” The older woman held out her hand. “Welcome to Wildwoods.”

“I’m Jack,” he improvised, taking her hand. “Jack Snow.”

Lexi raised a brow but didn’t say a word.

“Well, Mr. Snow. It’s a pleasure having you with us.” Her gaze was curious but she asked no questions. “I’ll get your key then show you to your room.”

As she hurried off, Lexi leaned close. “Jack Snow?”

“Better than John Doe.” He inhaled the intoxicating scent of her perfume. “Snow seemed appropriate given the current weather conditions.”

“We’re in business.” Coraline swept into the foyer holding up a large brass key.

“Nice meeting you, Jack.” Lexi held out her hand.

His fingers had barely closed around hers when a dark-haired child in a flannel nightgown bounded down the stairs and flung her arms around Lexi. “Mommy. Mommy.”

Lexi released his hand and her lips lifted in a smile. She lifted the child off her feet and spun her around. “I’m so happy to hear my girl is feeling better.”

“Your girl?” Jack sputtered.

Lexi planted a kiss on Addie’s hair then turned the child in her arms to face him. “Jack Snow, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Miss Addison Brennan.”

“Addison is a beautiful name.” He took her small hand in his. “For a very beautiful girl.”

Addie giggled. “What’s your name?”

“Jack Snow.”

The child giggled again. “That’s a funny name.”

“Yes, it is,” Jack said easily before Lexi could reprimand her daughter. “How old are you, Addie?”

“Seven,” she said proudly. “I’m in second grade.”

“That’s cool.”

“My teacher is Mrs. Kohtz,” Addie said. “She told my mommy I’m a smart girl.”

“Too smart,” Lexi murmured under her breath.

Jack tilted his head. “I heard you’ve been sick.”

“I had a cold.” Addie twirled in place. “But I’m all better now.”

“I see that.” His gaze dropped to her feet. “I like your bunny slippers.”

“Mommy got them for me.” Addie quit spinning. She lifted one foot and shook it, making the ears flop.

Lexi listened to the conversation in amazement. Addie hadn’t been around many men. But she was blossoming under Jack’s undivided attention.

“Lexi?”

Coraline’s voice pulled Lexi from her reverie. She glanced up to find not only her friend staring, but Addie and Jack, as well.

“I was asking if once Jack gets unpacked the three of you would like to join me for lunch later in the kitchen?”

Lexi’s first impulse was to say no. She’d done her job. She’d found Jack a place to live. Heck, she’d driven him right to the door. Her obligation as a hospital social worker had been fulfilled. No one would fault her if she said no.

“Can we eat with Mr. Snow?” Addie begged. “Pretty please?”

Jack remained silent, but the hopeful look in his eyes tugged at her heartstrings. He’d lost his past. He’d almost lost his life. If she were in his place, she’d hope someone would go beyond the call of duty and show some compassion. “I’d love some lunch.”

A look of relief crossed Jack’s face and Addie gave a whoop.

“I’ll show Jack to his room so he can get settled,” Coraline said. “Let’s plan to meet in the kitchen in a half hour.”

“While you do that I’ll take Addie upstairs so she can get dressed,” Lexi said.

“But I want to wear my bunny slippers,” Addie whined.

“You may wear the slippers,” Lexi said to her daughter. “But this isn’t our home and you aren’t going to run around the lodge in your nightie.”

Addie opened her mouth to protest, but Jack spoke first.

“You said you lived in a cabin,” Jack said smoothly. “Is it far from the main lodge?”

Addie vigorously nodded her head. “It’s a long, long ways.”

“Not quite that far.” Lexi smiled at her daughter before returning attention to Jack. “But I’m sure not looking forward to braving the wind and snow.”

“Why don’t you and Addie take my room tonight?” he offered. “I can sleep on a sofa somewhere.”

“No need,” Coraline said. “Lexi and Addie will stay with me. My suite has an extra bedroom.”

“What about the people in the other cabins?” Jack asked. “Will they be safe in this storm?”

Lexi realized he wasn’t merely making conversation. She’d noticed the man had an insatiable curiosity about, well, practically everything.

“The cabins have fully stocked kitchens and fireplaces,” Coraline said. “The guests who stay in them do so for the privacy and for the outdoor experience.”

“The ski patrol thought I might have been living in a cabin in the Teton Village area,” Jack murmured almost to himself. His brows furrowed as though the conversation had raised even more questions in his mind. Lexi decided to give him a break.

“C’mon, sweetie.” She laid a hand on her daughter’s shoulders. “Let’s go upstairs and get you dressed so we can eat. I’m starving.”

“I’m starving, too.” Addie turned and looked expectantly at Jack.

“I’m starving three,” he said, focused once more on the conversation.

Addie giggled.

Lexi laughed even as warning flags popped up. Smart, charming and handsome. There was no room at her inn for such a man. No room at all.