Kitabı oxu: «In Love with John Doe»
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His gaze locked with hers.
Suddenly, without warning, the world stood still. Lexi found herself drowning in the chocolate depths of his eyes. And when his gaze settled on her lips, they began to tingle.
What would it be like to kiss him, she wondered? To have those perfectly sculpted lips pressed against hers …
He took a step closer and when his hand touched her hair, desire rose inside her.
Married.
The word slammed like a shovel against the side of her head. Reality had finally clawed its way through the haze of desire.
This man could be married.
Lexi took a step back.
His hand dropped to his side.
Dear Reader,
I admit it. I’m a sucker for an amnesia story. This story came to me when I was in Jackson Hole, riding the tram up to the top of the ski slope. The tram operator was telling me about skiers who venture into the “back country” and how the patrol isn’t even required to rescue them. My writer’s brain started to think—what if someone did just that? What if he got caught in an avalanche? And my favorite part—what if when they found him he had no identity and no memory?
This book is special to me because it has its own song. Sometimes when I’m writing I’ll hear a song on the radio and it will fit the story. While I’m writing I will play the song repeatedly. This book’s special song was “Come Back to Me” by David Cook.
After you’ve read the book, listen to the song, especially to the words. Then, if you have the time, e-mail me and let me know if you think the song is a good fit. I can be reached at cindy@cindykirk.com.
Warmest regards,
Cindy
About the Author
CINDY KIRK has loved to read for as long as she can remember. In first grade she received an award for reading one hundred books. Growing up, summers were her favorite time of year. Nothing beat going to the library, then coming home and curling up in front of the window air conditioner with a good book. Often the novels she read would spur ideas, and she’d make up her own story (always with a happy ending). When she’d go to bed at night, instead of counting sheep, she’d make up more stories in her head. Since selling her first story to Mills & Boon in 1999, Cindy has been forced to juggle her love of reading with her passion for creating stories of her own … but she doesn’t mind. Writing for Mills & Boon® Cherish™ is a dream come true. She only hopes you have as much fun reading her books as she has writing them!
Cindy invites you to visit her website at www.cindykirk.com.
In Love with John Doe
Cindy Kirk
To my fabulous critique partners,
Louise Foster and Renee Ryan.
This wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without you!
Chapter One
“Five bucks says he’s an undercover prince.”
Lexi Brennan stood back and watched the older nurse pull a crumpled bill from her uniform pocket and slap it on the counter.
“He’s handsome enough,” another RN said. “But I say he’s a politician’s son. God knows we get our share of them in Teton County.”
“Put me down for the undercover prince,” charge nurse Rachel Milligan said. “Then we’d better get to work.”
The staff scattered, leaving Lexi, one of the hospital’s social workers, alone at the nurse’s station with Rachel and a nurse’s aide. During the five years Lexi had been working at the Jackson Hole hospital, she’d lost a lot of money on these friendly wagers. Last month she’d vowed not to participate in another. Still, she was curious. “What are you betting on this time?”
“Our new patient, John Doe,” Rachel said. “He’s been the topic of conversation since the rescue team brought him in yesterday.”
“He is super cute,” the aide gushed.
“Mr. Landers’s call light is on.” Rachel kept her gaze focused on the young girl while handing Lexi John Doe’s chart. “Would you mind seeing what he needs?”
As the aide hurried off, Lexi flipped through the handful of pages. “Not much here.”
Rachel smiled. “When a patient doesn’t remember his name or any of his history, it makes for a pretty sparse medical record.”
Lexi recognized Rachel’s handwriting on the initial documentation. “Looks like you were working in the E.R. yesterday when they brought him in from Teton Village.”
“He was lucky,” Rachel said, her blue eyes suddenly serious. “He might have lost his memory, but another few minutes under that snow and he’d have lost his life.”
“Why skiers venture into the back country is beyond me.” Lexi wasn’t sure why she found the man’s recklessness so disturbing. He certainly wasn’t the first hotshot skier to take advantage of the mountain’s “open gate” policy. “Anyone who goes through that gate knows they’re taking a big risk.”
Rachel’s gaze took on a sad, faraway look. “Young men in that late-twenty, early-thirty range think they’re invincible.”
Lexi wondered if Rachel was thinking about her husband who’d been killed several years ago trying to protect a clerk during a convenience store robbery.
“Medically, John Doe is stable,” Rachel said after a long moment. “Once you find him a place to stay, he’s ready to be dismissed.”
Raising a finger to her lips, Lexi considered the available options. “There aren’t many motels that will take a man with no money.”
“He’s got money,” Rachel said. “He had a couple thousand dollars on him.”
A couple thousand dollars? Lexi had twenty-seven dollars in her pocket and that had to last until payday. She pulled her brows together. “Did they find drugs on him?”
“Nope.” Rachel laughed. “And his tox screen came back negative. My guess is he’s just some rich guy who ran into trouble on the back side of the mountain.”
“Well, the money will make it easier to find him a place to live,” Lexi said, her mind already flipping through the options. She gathered the chart in her hand and walked the few steps to the patient’s room. “I guess it’s time to meet Mr. John Doe.”
“Prepare to be dazzled.”
Lexi paused. “What are you talking about?”
“I forgot to mention the most important part,” Rachel said. “Not only does he have money, he’s gorgeous. That’s why my bet is undercover prince.”
Gorgeous. Undercover prince.
Lexi pushed open the door. John Doe’s money and looks weren’t going to help him get a room. That would take luck and a lot of phone calls. And if the weather reports were accurate, a late spring blizzard was bearing down on Jackson Hole. That meant her focus needed to be on finding this man without a memory a place to stay sooner rather than later.
John had just pulled on his ski pants and had a shirt in hand when a knock sounded at his hospital room door. “Come in.”
He didn’t bother to look when the door opened, knowing his visitor would be another nurse, wanting to check his pupils and blood pressure. But at the click of heels on the tile, he turned.
The woman striding into his room didn’t have on scrubs. Instead she wore a stylish green-and-brown dress with a short green sweater. Her dark hair hung loose to her shoulders in a sleek bob, and her amber-colored eyes were focused on the chart in her hand.
When she finally looked up, her eyes widened. “I’m sorry,” she stammered, stepping back. “I didn’t realize you were dressing. I’ll come back later.”
He dropped his gaze to his bare chest then back to the two bright spots of pink dotting her cheeks.
No, he decided, this one was definitely not a nurse.
Her hand reached behind her for the doorknob.
“Don’t leave.” With one quick movement he pulled the turtleneck over his head, ignoring the fierce ache in his neck and shoulders. That pain, the doctor told him, was to be expected. “There. I’m dressed and ready for visitors.”
The woman dropped her hand to her side. She smiled, showing a mouthful of perfect white teeth. “I’m Lexi Brennan, one of the hospital social workers and part of the discharge planning team.”
She crossed the room. When she drew close and extended her hand, he inhaled the light floral scent of her perfume.
The grip was firm, her gaze direct. He found himself glancing at her hand—as if it had been his habit—and noted she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.
“Mr…. Doe. I’ve been charged with finding you a place to live.” Her expression was serious and all business. “Somewhere you can stay until you regain your memory.”
He thought of a dozen quips that might make her smile again. The trouble was he didn’t feel like joking.
This darkness in his head annoyed him. Okay, it had him worried. His rescuers had reported that when they’d pulled him out from under the snow, he’d been talking and joking. It wasn’t until they’d taken him to the clinic at the bottom of the hill that they’d realized he didn’t know who he was … or even if he’d been skiing alone. Only the news that his transceiver had been the only one emitting signals reassured him.
Still, he wished he knew for certain. “Has anyone showed up?”
A look of confusion settled on the social worker’s pretty face. “Showed up?”
“You know … family, friends.”
Lexi could see the frustration on his face and hear it in his tone. She offered a sympathetic smile. “They probably haven’t heard the news yet. Your ordeal was on local television news last night. My understanding is they plan to run the piece again today. And the hospital is putting together a press release that will be sent out if no one comes forth by tomorrow.”
He began to pace, finally stopping at a window overlooking the Elk Refuge. “What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”
Lexi didn’t have an answer. She placed her leather portfolio on the closest table and moved to his side. The endless sky had turned cloudy as if picking up on the mood inside the hospital room.
“The forecasters are predicting a blizzard.” Lexi held to the tenet that when in doubt talk about the weather. “We don’t get many this late in April.”
Lexi felt his gaze on her and her body prickled with awareness. He smelled clean, like soap and some other indefinable male scent. Rachel had been right. He was dazzling. Standing just over six feet with a lean muscular build and dark hair brushing his collar, he was just the size she liked. Coupled with a face that could easily grace the cover of any magazine, he was one potent package.
“When is it supposed to hit?” he asked.
Lexi faced him. “It’s supposed to start snowing this afternoon and continue throughout the night.”
“The doctors say there’s nothing more they can do for me.”
His tone gave little away and if Lexi hadn’t been looking directly at him, she’d have missed the momentary flash of fear in his brown eyes.
She offered him a reassuring smile. “Look at this move as the next step on the journey back to your old life.”
“I’m certainly not remembering my past by sitting and looking at these four walls.” He glanced around the hospital room. “I’m ready to get out of here.”
Lexi wondered if he was trying to reassure her or himself. She couldn’t begin to imagine how scary it would be to think of going out into the world with no memory. Her heart softened. “I’ll make some calls to hotels in the area. See what they have available.”
“Can I help? I mean, it’s not like I have anything else to do.” He flashed a smile. “Besides, this is my problem, not yours.”
Lexi steeled herself against the mesmerizing warmth of those chocolate-brown eyes. “That’s kind of you. But finding you a place to stay is my job. And I’m hoping to get you the special pricing the hospital has for patients and their relatives.”
“The E.R. doctor said I had a couple thousand dollars on me when I was found.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Money isn’t an issue.”
“It won’t be if your family or friends come forward.” Lexi chose her words carefully, not wanting to dash his hopes. “But if they take a while, or if your memory comes back more slowly than anticipated, you could run out of money. Then—”
“I understand,” he said. “I could end up on the street and out of money. That certainly isn’t where I want to be.” He grinned and pretended to shiver. “Not with snow on the ground.”
Lexi returned his smile, admiring the way he kept his spirits up with such a heavy weight on his shoulders. John Doe was definitely one of a kind.
While she was immune to his physical perfection, the humor, the smarts, and the level-headed attitude—those attributes were much harder for her to resist. But resist she would. Because there was no room in her life for a man, even one as handsome and charming as John Doe.
Thirty minutes later, Lexi sat back, frustration coursing through her veins. “How can they all be full?”
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.”
Chapter Two
By the time Lexi clocked out at noon, thousands of tiny snowflakes filled the air. John stood with Rachel under the front entrance overhang while Lexi retrieved her car from the nearby employee lot.
John shifted from one foot to the other, feeling useless. Though his past was still blank, something told him Lexi wasn’t the only one who liked to keep busy. “I could have gone with her.”
“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.”
Lexi hadn’t been sure how John, er, Jack, would react to the news she had a daughter, but he merely blinked then extended his hand to the seven-year-old.
“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.
Pulsuz fraqment bitdi.
