In Love with John Doe

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Even at 9 a.m. on a busy Saturday morning the look on Coraline’s face and the lilt in her voice told Lexi and the world that here was a woman who loved her job.

Lexi understood such passion. She felt the same way about her position at the hospital. Initially getting a master’s degree in social work had been something to keep her occupied while Drew finished his MBA. They’d talked about getting married after graduation, but she’d long ago realized that’s all it had been … talk.

Still, there’d been a silver lining. Addie. Lexi dipped another slice of brioche into the egg mixture and dropped it on the griddle. She’d indeed been blessed.

While she might not have a house of her own or a husband to cuddle up with at night, she had a smart, funny, loving daughter and a career where she made a difference every day.

“I thought I’d find you in here.”

Lexi’s heart rate spiked when she heard the deep voice, but it plummeted when she looked up and realized it came from the tall man in his late thirties standing in the doorway. “What can I do for you, Todd?”

A divorced father of two with a receding hairline and an ego the size of the Tetons, Todd Cox was a salesman out of Idaho Falls and a repeat guest at the B and B. Lexi wished he’d just once consider staying at a motel in Jackson. It would be more convenient for his business meetings and most of all, she’d welcome the reprieve.

She had little use for a man who didn’t understand the word no. Todd asked her out every time he was in town. Her answer was always the same, but the persistent salesman was like a dog with a bone. He simply refused to give up.

“Hey, beautiful.” Todd stepped into the room with a swagger that reminded her oddly of Drew. “How’s my girl?”

Jack had been on his way to the kitchen when he saw the guy open the door and call out to Lexi. He clenched his jaw at the familiarity in the man’s tone. The door remained open and Jack stopped just out of sight, curious about Lexi’s response.

“I’m not your girl, Todd.” Lexi’s voice was pleasant but firm. “And I shouldn’t need to remind you that guests aren’t allowed in the kitchen area.”

From where he stood, Jack could see the man lounging against the counter, watching Lexi with an insolent smile. He wondered why Lexi didn’t just tell the man to buzz off. Why was she being so nice?

“Coraline won’t care.” Todd took a step closer, his body between Lexi and the door. “I’m one of her best customers. Not to mention I send a lot of business her way.”

Ahh, now it made sense. Lexi was stuck … and not just in front of the stove. She couldn’t risk offending a repeat customer. Unfortunately the guy was obviously too stupid to pick up on her “not-interested” signals.

“Is there something you need?” Lexi asked politely. “As you can see, I’m kinda busy here.”

“I heard through the grapevine that there’s a fund-raising dinner and dance for the local food bank tonight at the Spring Gulch Country Club,” he said. “We could go together.”

“Todd, I’m—”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses about the roads.” Todd raised his hand. “The plows will have the snow cleared off in the next couple hours. We can meet at seven in the lobby.”

His hand was on her arm now and Jack’s blood began to boil. A roaring filled his ears. He didn’t remember entering the kitchen but suddenly he was there, at Lexi’s side.

He slid an arm around her shoulder and brushed a kiss against her cheek. “Hey, Lex. You should have woken me this morning.”

Jack caught the look of startled surprise on her face before he turned to the man behind her. Instead of punching him as he’d have preferred, Jack extended his hand and offered up a friendly smile. “Jack Snow. Lexi’s … significant other. And you are?”

He felt a surge of satisfaction at the shock on the arrogant man’s face.

“Todd Cox.” The man’s gaze shifted from Lexi to Jack. A suspicious gleam replaced the surprise. “Why is it I’ve never met you?”

Beneath his arm, Jack felt Lexi’s shoulders tense. Jack lifted a brow. “Is there some reason we should have met?”

Jack swore he heard a low chuckle come from Lexi’s throat.

“I suppose you’re right.” Todd cast one last look at Lexi before taking a step back. “I’ll see you at the fundraiser tonight.”

Jack waited for Lexi to reply but she merely shrugged.

“I need to check the road conditions.” Todd made a great show of glancing at his watch. “I have a very important meeting in Jackson this morning.”

An important meeting? Jack cocked his head. On Saturday?

Todd started out of the room but stopped in the doorway and turned. His gaze settled on Lexi. “One piece of advice. If you want to keep your job, pay more attention to your cooking and forget about the new boyfriend.”

When Lexi remained silent, the salesman smirked. “Your brioche is burning.”

At the same instant the words left Todd’s lips, the smell of scorched egg hit Jack’s nostrils.

Lexi whirled. With a shriek she scooped the scorched bread off the griddle and onto a large plate. By the time she dumped the whole batch into the trash, Todd had vanished. This surprised Jack. He figured the guy to be the type to stand around and gloat.

“Can I help?” he asked.

“It’s under control,” Lexi said between gritted teeth as she dipped then plopped more brioche on the griddle. “And I can take care of myself.”

A shiver of unease slithered up Jack’s spine. “Don’t you mean you can take care of the brioche yourself?”

She met his gaze. Her eyes flashed amber fire. “No. I mean I can take care of myself. I have for years. I didn’t need you to step in and play the caveman card.”

Her voice trembled with emotion and Jack’s heart sank. His impulsive gesture of support had obviously been misconstrued. “I saw him crowding you. I may have overreacted.”

“You may have overreacted?” Lexi’s voice began to rise but she quickly brought it under control. “You told Todd you were my boyfriend. You implied we were lovers.”

Now Jack was thoroughly confused. “I got the feeling you didn’t like him. If you do, I’ll—”

“I. Don’t. Like. Him,” Lexi said, her voice a harsh whisper. “But I can handle him. And the last thing I need to happen is for rumors to get started about you and me. You’ll eventually leave but I still have to live here. Having people think I sleep around is not the reputation I want to have when I’m raising a daughter.”

Jack swore under his breath. He’d only meant to help her. To protect her. Instead he’d made everything worse. As he gazed into Lexi’s beautiful eyes now filled with hurt and anger, he realized he’d screwed up … big-time. The trouble was he wasn’t sure how to make it right.

Lexi fought to make sense of the myriad of emotions slamming into her body. When Jack had put his arm around her and done his Sir Galahad act, her knees had gone weak. But he wasn’t her boyfriend or her lover. And he never would be. She lived in the real world. She had a daughter. She had to be able to handle what life threw at her, even if that meant dealing with a sleazy salesman like Todd Cox over and over and over again.

“I’m sorry, Lexi.” Jack’s voice was low and filled with contrition. “I see now that I put you in a bad position. That truly wasn’t my intent. I hope you can forgive me.”

As Lexi gazed into his warm brown eyes she could feel her anger begin to fade. She knew she shouldn’t let him off the hook so easily, but he had chased Todd off. And his intentions had been honorable.

“It’ll be okay.” She waved the spatula in the air. “It’s not like he’s going to be talking to anyone about you and me.”

“Still, I should have kept my mouth shut.” Jack gently removed the spatula from her hand and began methodically flipping each piece of bread. When he looked up, regret was written all over his face. “Seriously, you’re the only friend I have. I don’t want to ever do anything to hurt you.”

Maybe it was the lost look in his eyes. Or the genuine contrition he’d shown. Or how approachable he looked in blue jeans. Whatever the reason, Lexi had to fight the urge to take a step closer and console him. Which made absolutely no sense at all.

Instead she took the spatula back and moved the brioche from the griddle onto the cookie sheet with well-practiced ease. Keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the food, she covered the golden-brown slices with foil and put them in the oven.

But when she straightened, Jack was right there, standing beside her with an unnerving glint in his eyes. Her traitorous body immediately reacted to his nearness. The blood in her veins began to flow like an awakened river. Desire pooled deep and low in her belly.

An invisible web of attraction kept her feet firmly planted though she wanted to flee. Okay, maybe wanted was too strong a word. The red flags popping up in her head were telling her to run—not walk—out of the kitchen. But the waves of testosterone coming off him kept her tethered where she stood.

“I think this is the part where you tell me I’m a thoughtless jerk but say you forgive me.” His gaze remained firmly fixed on her face.

“Oh, the kiss-and-make-up part.” Her words sounded slightly breathless even to her own ears.

His eyes turned dark as coal. “Kissing and making up works for me.”

Laugh and say you accept his apology, the voice of reason inside her head urged. Then tell him he needs to leave and let you work.

It was a good plan, but instead of following it, Lexi took a step forward. She’d lectured Addie many times that if you got too close to a fire you could get burned. But wouldn’t a brief brush across the lips just to say “no hard feelings” be on the same level as a warm handshake or a friendly hug between friends?

Lexi took a half step forward and placed her hands on his shoulders. Around his neck would be much too personal.

The heat from his body wrapped around her like a favorite blanket. She let him pull her tight against him, his arms closing around her.

Lexi lifted her face to him. “I’m glad you made it out of that avalanche alive.”

He smiled, his eyes dark. “I’m glad you were the social worker assigned to my case.”

“Me, too,” she choked out, finding it difficult to breathe, much less speak coherently.

“So you forgive me for screwing up things this morning?” He brushed back a strand of hair from her face, his fingers leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

The look of tenderness in his eyes vanquished the last of her irritation. “You meant well.”

“I did and I am sorry.” He leaned forward and brushed an all-too-brief kiss against her lips. “Very sorry.”