How to Romance a Stranger

by Kirk, Cindy

  There was a gleam in her eyes he couldn’t quite decipher. “What’s that?”

  “That you don’t mind if I bring a date.”

  * * *

  Jack cast an admiring glance inside the large ballroom of the Spring Gulch Country Club. Though the beautiful hardwood floors and the tables topped with linen screamed elegance, the chandeliers made from antlers added a distinctly casual touch.

  The tension, which had gripped his shoulders, slid to the floor, where he kicked it aside. Lexi had assured him that the event was casual, but he’d been skeptical. It seemed to him that the dress code for a fundraiser at a country club would be at the minimum suit and tie, most probably a tux. Definitely not blue jeans. He’d worried she’d told him it was casual because she knew those were the only types of clothes he’d been given by the hospital auxiliary.

  But looking around the room now, he realized Lexi had been right. Based on what he was seeing, jeans and boots were indeed de rigueur for men. The women were almost evenly divided between jean-wearers and those who’d chosen to step it up a notch with a skirt or dress.

  Both Lexi and her “date,” Mary Karen Vaughn, had gone the dress route. Mary Karen’s blue dress brought out the color of her eyes. Lexi’s gold-colored dress was the perfect foil for her dark hair. Though Jack hadn’t seen every single woman in attendance, he had no doubt he was escorting the prettiest blonde and most gorgeous brunette this area had to offer.

  Jack wasn’t sure what he’d thought before his accident, but tonight he preferred a brunette on his arm. Of course, right now, he didn’t have either by his side. Lexi and her friend had abandoned him several minutes ago to check out the ladies’ room.

  While they’d been gone, he’d purchased the admission tickets to the event as a way of saying thank you for allowing him to tag along on their “girls’ night out.”

  On the ride to Mary Karen’s house, Lexi had shared that her friend was a divorced mother of three little boys and the sister of the doctor who’d treated him in the E.R. She was also one of Lexi’s closest friends.

  Jack had felt comfortable around Mary Karen from the beginning. She’d introduced him to her sons, her grandmother and her dog, Henry. An RN by profession, Mary Karen had been interested in every aspect of his case. There’d been no lull in the conversation on the ten-mile trek from Jackson to the Spring Gulch Country Club.

  The young nurse had asked question after question but Jack hadn’t minded. Every time he repeated the story he found himself hoping something in the telling would jog his memory. So far there’d been no revelations, but the night was still young.

  “You’re looking better than the last time I saw you.”

  Jack turned. Before him stood a man close to his own age. Dressed like the other guys in jeans and a casual shirt, he shouldn’t have stood out but he did. Mainly because this was someone Jack knew, someone he remembered. As if by habit, Jack stuck out his hand. “Dr. Wahl, it’s good to see you again.”

  The doctor gave his hand a firm shake. “Please, call me David.”

  “You can call me Jack Snow,” he said with a grin. “John Doe was too pedestrian for my tastes.”

  “I firmly support a man’s right to choose his own temporary name.” David smiled. “How’s the memory coming?”

  Jack shrugged, doing his best not to let his impatience show. “Bits and pieces. Nothing substantial.”

  “You’re the one who had the skiing accident.” The man standing next to David was tall and thin with a mop of unruly sandy-colored hair.

  “When my wife’s not here, my manners seem to go out the window.” David chuckled. “Jack Snow, this is Travis Fisher. Travis is also a physician, but not the kind you’ll ever need.”

  At Jack’s curious look Travis smiled. “My specialty is obstetrics.”

  As the three talked Jack realized not only was he at ease in social situations but he could discuss sports without missing a beat.

  “So you guys came alone?” he asked, keeping an eye out for Lexi and Mary Karen as more and more people began to stream into the great room.

  “My wife is home with our son nursing a sore ankle,” David said, an extra warmth to his voice that hadn’t been there moments before. “She’s a wildlife photographer and those backwoods trails can be treacherous.”

  “David hated to leave his cozy little family but his wife told him she was sick of all the lovebird stuff and needed some alone time,” Travis said, deadpan.

  David laughed out loud. “No. That’s your ex-girlfriend’s line.”

  “Travis Fisher. Are you stirring up trouble again?” Mary Karen teased.

  Jack slid his gaze past the dark-haired beauty to the pretty blonde. “I’ve got our tickets.”

  “Those tickets are fifty dollars each,” Mary Karen protested. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Jack smiled. “I’m your escort. A gentleman doesn’t allow a lady to pay.”

  Travis’s blonde brows pulled together. His gaze shifted from Mary Karen to Jack then back to Mary Karen. “You came with him?”

  Lexi didn’t wait for her friend to answer. She looped her arm through Mary Karen’s and then took Jack’s arm. “The three of us are here together.”

  The tense set to Travis’s jaw eased. Although Lexi’s friend had made it clear on the way over that, like Lexi, she was too busy to date, it appeared that wasn’t from lack of interest. Dr. Fisher clearly had designs on the pretty divorcée.

  “Is July feeling better?” Lexi asked David, her eyes filled with concern.

  “The swelling in her ankle is almost gone,” the doctor said. “She planned to come tonight, but Adam came down with the sniffles. I wanted to stay home, too, but I’m accepting one of the awards on behalf of the hospital tonight.”

  “Jackson Hole Memorial is a big supporter of community endeavors,” Lexi explained. “The hospital and several other large donors are being recognized for their contributions.”

  Food bank. Hospital. Donors.

  None of it seemed the least bit familiar to Jack. Whatever he’d done, he’d bet money it hadn’t been anything in the health-care or non-profit arena.

  “Where are you two sitting?” Mary Karen asked her brother as they made their way into the crowded ballroom.

  “We’re not telling.” Travis flashed an impudent smile.

  “That’s okay,” Mary Karen said with a nonchalant shrug. “If you don’t want two beautiful women sitting with you, it’s definitely your loss.”

  “We’re at that table.” David gestured with his head toward a large one just off the dance floor.

  Mary Karen’s gaze lingered on the tented sign in the middle of the table. “It’s reserved.”

  “For award recipients and their families,” David said. “You qualify.”

  The band swung into a song well-suited to the over-sixty crowd. Travis held out a hand to Mary Karen. “Dance with me?”

  “Since I don’t have any better offers…” Mary Karen ignored his hand but turned toward the dance floor.

  Travis merely grinned and let her lead the way.

  “If you two will excuse me,” David said. “I need to talk to the food bank director and get an update on the awards ceremony.”

  This left Jack alone with Lexi. Though they’d come to the event in the same vehicle, he wasn’t sure how much togetherness she wanted. Still, it never hurt to ask. “Would you care to dance?”

  Lexi nodded and Jack exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. It wasn’t until they stepped onto the dance floor that he hesitated. “I have a confession to make.”

  Lexi stopped and lifted a brow.

  “I’m not sure I know how to dance,” he admitted.

  To his surprise Lexi didn’t appear overly concerned. She took one hand in hers and placed his other on her hip. “I guess that means we’re going to live dangerously tonight.”

  * * *

  Three songs later, Lexi realized dangerous was too mild a word for what s
he was feeling. Up until now she’d kept the conversation general, hoping the impersonal nature of the topics would help. Though it hadn’t worked so far, she wasn’t giving up.

  “You lied to me,” she said as he skillfully maneuvered her around the shiny hardwood. Though she’d feared she might have to lead, that hadn’t been necessary. “You’re a fabulous dancer.”

  “I guess it’s like riding a bike,” he said with a smile that sent her pulse racing. “Some things you never forget.”

  She forced her attention away from his luscious lips. “Has being here tonight brought back any new memories?”

  “This dancing, talking, mingling stuff feels familiar and comfortable,” he said. “Whatever I did in my previous life must have involved socializing.”

  She had no doubt that the socializing had involved beautiful women. What she didn’t know was if one of those women was a girlfriend…or a wife.

  “It has to be frustrating,” Lexi said. “Trying to build a picture of what your life used to be with so few clues.”

  “It bothers me sometimes more than others.” Despite his offhand tone, the haunted look was back in his eyes. He slowed his steps until they were barely moving on the edge of the dance floor.

  “I wish I could wave a magic wand and your memory would be back,” she said, ignoring the tiny voice that warned once he discovered his identity he’d be gone.

  Jack released her hand and lifted his hand to cup her cheek. “You are the sweetest woman I know.”

  “Face it,” Lexi said in a teasing tone, swallowing past the sudden lump in her throat. “I’m one of the few women you know.”

  His eyes never left hers, though his hand dropped to his side. “Even so…”

  “Break it up,” Travis ordered, dancing up beside them and stopping.

  “Time to switch partners,” Mary Karen said brightly when Travis released his hold on her and opened his arms to Lexi.

  Jack took Lexi’s arm. But he immediately realized it was unnecessary. She’d made no move to step away.

  “Not now,” he said to Travis. “Perhaps later.”

  Lexi gasped as Jack whirled her across the dance floor. “What are you doing?”

  “They didn’t really want to switch,” Jack said, feeling good about his decision. “Neither did I.”

  Lexi focused on his first comment and ignored his last. “They didn’t?”

  “Nope. The only one Travis wants to spend time with is Mary Karen.”

  Just like the only one I want to spend time with is you, Lexi thought to herself. She’d long suspected that Travis was interested in the single mother. But Mary Karen kept insisting they were just old friends. “Mary Karen was the one who asked to switch.”

  Jack chuckled. “The two of them are playing games with each other. I chose not to participate.”

  Somehow Lexi managed to keep the smile on her face. For a second she’d thought he’d turned Mary Karen down because he wanted to keep her in his arms. Instead it had all been about Mary Karen and Travis. She told herself she should be happy he wasn’t beguiled by her charms. Instead all she felt was disappointed.

  Chapter Six

  “I learned something tonight,” Jack slowed to a stop when the rousing two-step ended. “I love this kind of music.”

  Lexi had grown up dancing but she hadn’t learned to two-step until she’d moved to Jackson. Over the years she’d become proficient. Perhaps even better than proficient.

  Jack was a pro. With him as her partner, she’d danced better than she ever had before and had great fun doing it. Though her breath came in short puffs and her heart raced, she couldn’t keep a smile off her face.

  She waited for the band to start up again but instead, the head of the food bank stepped to the microphone and announced it was time for dinner.

  “You’re really good,” Lexi said to Jack as they headed back to the tables along with the rest of the crowd.

  Jack cupped her elbow protectively as they maneuvered through the people. “Another talent to add to my résumé.”

  Though he was obviously trying to keep it light, something in his tone told Lexi he was still frustrated by an inability to bring his memory back by sheer force of will. She slipped her arm through his. “It’s new information. It may not be your name, but it’s something.”

  “I know,” he said. “I just wish it would come faster.”

  “Pastor Schmidt—he’s the minister at my church—recently said something in a sermon that resonated with me,” Lexi said. “Three months ago I’d asked Addie’s father to release all claim to her. So far he’s ignored the request.”

  “Were parental rights ever established?”

  Lexi waved the question aside. “The point is I was feeling frustrated like you are now over something that I couldn’t control. When I heard the minister say that things happen in God’s time, not our own, it spoke to me.”

  Jack’s brows pulled together. “So you’re saying I need to turn the timing of all this over to God? Assuming I believe in God, of course.”

  “Actually.” Lexi stopped at the table and waited for Jack to pull out the chair. “I was thinking more in terms of you not driving yourself crazy over something you can’t control. Instead of stewing over your memory loss, make a decision to enjoy your time here, however long that ends up being.”

  “I enjoy my room at Wildwoods.” He took a seat in the chair next to her, his gaze firmly fixed on her face. “And I’m enjoying spending time with you.”

  Lexi felt herself responding to his closeness, to the charm he seemed to have in endless abundance. Then she reminded herself that this was a handsome man. For him, making a woman feel as if she were the most important thing in his world was probably second nature.

  “I’m happy you’re happy.” Lexi inwardly cringed at her sophomoric response. Sheesh. She took a deep breath, ignored her rapidly beating heart and tried to remember her point. “Perhaps you’re here to discover something about yourself. Or it could be simply to give your body and mind a chance to relax and recharge.”

  To her surprise, Jack appeared to be mulling over her words. But before he could respond, the others arrived. David took a seat, quickly followed by Mary Karen and Travis. They brought with them John and Kayla Simpson, who were friends from the community.

  The conversation flowed easily over dinner, the topic of Jack’s amnesia forgotten. Lexi experienced a surge of pride during the awards. She couldn’t believe all the people in the community who’d stepped up during the past year to help the less fortunate in Jackson Hole.

  Unlike some of the attendees in the audience who continued to chat with the person next to them, Jack listened to the speakers, his expression serious. When the food bank employees passed around a ten-gallon hat for additional donations, Lexi watched Jack surreptitiously toss in a hundred-dollar bill.

  While she was impressed by his generosity, she thought about telling him he better watch his money. But she bit her tongue before the words could slip out. After all, she was his friend. Not his mother.

  After the presentations and another hour of dancing, Mary Karen announced in an offhand tone that Travis had offered to drop her off at home.

  “Will I see you in church tomorrow?” Mary Karen asked while slipping her arms into the sleeves of the coat Travis had retrieved.

  “Addie and I’ll be there.” Lexi slanted a sideways look at Jack. “You’re welcome to join us.”

  He paused for a moment then nodded. “I’ll take you up on that offer. The more experiences I have, the more chance something will jog my memory.”

  And then you’ll be gone.

  The realization brought with it a twinge of sadness. She’d enjoyed the time she’d spent with Jack. While she firmly believed a woman didn’t need a man in her life to be happy, being a part of a couple tonight had been fun.

  After Mary Karen and Travis’s aborted attempt to cut in, no one else had tried. Though Lexi wasn’t sure of the reason, she liked to think it was
because she and Jack looked like they were having so much fun together. They’d even bumped into Todd and his partner on the dance floor. The salesman had simply said hello. After that, Lexi had been able to relax and have a good time.

  There’d been no worries that Jack might misread her friendliness and think she wanted more. She’d made it clear that Addie was her priority. He’d made it clear that once he found out who he was he’d be leaving. Even if she was willing to take a chance, the fact that he didn’t know who he was or what family he had waiting for him made him off limits. No matter how nice he was or how good he could two-step.

  * * *

  Jackson Hole Christian church was small, old and packed to the rafters. Jack hadn’t been sure what to expect when he’d walked through the arched doorway. So far only the band by the pulpit seemed familiar.

  “Does this spark any memories?” Lexi asked when he slid in the pew beside her. She waved to Addie, sitting with the children’s choir to the left of the pulpit.

  “My first thought was how small it is,” Jack said. “Then I wondered where they were hiding the high-tech video equipment.”

  For a second she thought he was joking, until she saw the serious look in his eyes.

  Lexi took the hymnal from the rack on the back of the pew in front of them. “Sounds like you’ve experienced a megachurch. They had those large churches where I come from in Ohio, but I don’t believe there’s a single one in the entire state of Wyoming.”

  “Are you implying I’m not from here?” he teased.

  Lexi rolled her eyes. “I think that’s already been established.”

  Jack opened his mouth but shut it when the pastor took the pulpit and asked them to rise for the first hymn.

  Though the song wasn’t familiar, Jack discovered he could carry a tune and read music. And while the service wasn’t familiar, he had no difficulty following along.

  His favorite part came when the children’s choir sang. When Addie rose, her angelic smile seemed directed at him as well as her mother. After one song, the choir director singled Addie out to do a small solo. Jack held his breath. When she sang each note pitch perfect, he wanted to cheer.