have to babysit me. I’m sure you have your own stuff to do.”
Even though less than an hour before she’d been hoping for an out, her heart gave a little ping. “If you’ve had enough together time, I understand.” Lexi met his gaze. “But if you’re worried about imposing, don’t be. If I had something to do, or somewhere else to be, I’d tell you.”
“You’re as spunky as your daughter.” The admiration took any sting from his words.
“I guess Addie comes by it honestly.” Lexi twisted her lips in a wry smile. “But if I start twirling around, stop me, please.”
He laughed. “What do you propose we do now that twirling is off the table?”
His gaze locked with hers and suddenly, without warning, the world stood still. The chatter from the housebound guests in the great hall faded and Lexi found herself drowning in the dark 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 snow shovel against the side of her head.
He could be married.
Lexi took a step back.
His hand dropped to his side.
“We’ve got a couple hours,” Lexi said when she finally found her voice. “What would you like to do?”
“I’m game for anything that will help me remember.”
Though his tone was joking, Lexi knew he was serious. She pondered the possibilities as they continued down the hall into the Great Room. Because of the weather, their options were limited. “I’ve an idea. You know those getting-to-know-you playing cards that were all the rage a couple years ago?”
He tilted his head. A smile played at the corners of his lips. “Do you really think I’d remember something like that when I can’t even remember my name?”
Lexi chuckled. “Good point.”
“Tell me about the cards.” Jack turned to the roaring fire and held his hands out to the warmth.
“It’s a deck of cards with questions that each player answers.” Lexi paused, trying to think of the best way to explain the process. “The questions are designed to delve into a person’s inner psyche and reveal their beliefs. I’ve played it with girlfriends several times and it’s amazing what you learn about each other. And yourself.”
“Sounds interesting,” he said. “I can wait here while you get the cards.”
“Oh-oh.”
“Problem?”
“The cards are in my cabin.”
“I guess we can scratch that plan.” He took a step closer. “Do you have a Plan B?”
He stood so near that Lexi realized if she turned even the tiniest little bit she’d be in his arms.
We could spend the time in bed.
A light flared in his eyes and for a second Lexi feared she’d spoken aloud.
“You’ve thought of something,” he said, his voice deep and low. “I can see it in your eyes.”
Her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. What was it he saw on her face? Desire? Guilt? A combination of the two?
He could be married, she reminded herself, more firmly this time. Even if he hadn’t walked down the aisle, he could be engaged. At the very least—handsome as he was—he had to be dating someone.
“Well,” he prompted. “What is it?”
Her mind searched for something that didn’t involve getting naked. She kept coming up empty until it hit her that she had plans for the evening that preceded Jack Snow and the unexpected blizzard. “Would you like to help me pick out wedding invitations?”
Jack stilled, hoping his shock didn’t show on his face. He’d sworn Lexi had told him she wasn’t engaged or even dating anyone. Or had he just imagined that conversation? “When’s the happy day?”
“Oh, these aren’t for me,” Lexi said with a dismissive wave. “They’re for my friend Mimi.”
Jack pulled his brows together. The conversation was getting stranger by the minute. “Don’t the bride and groom usually pick out their own invitations?”
“You know your weddings.” Lexi waved to two older women enjoying a cup of tea at the dining room table before shifting her attention back to Jack. “But in this case Mimi and Hank have come to an impasse. Since the invitations need to go out in two weeks, they decided that I should choose.”
“You’re serious.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You don’t approve.”
“It doesn’t matter if I approve or not.” He stepped aside to let another couple pass. “It just seems to me that if two people supposedly in love can’t compromise on invitations they have no business getting married.”
Lexi’s jaw jutted out. “Selecting invitations isn’t an easy process.”
Let it go, he told himself. He didn’t know these people. Who cared if they let a friend—or even a stranger—choose their invitations? But for some reason it did matter.
“You and I just met,” he said in what he hoped was a reasonable tone. “But I bet we could settle on an invitation we both liked.”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “Of course we could. This isn’t our wedding. We’re not emotionally invested in the outcome.”
“Cop-out.”
Lexi’s brows slammed together. “What did you say?”
Oops. Obviously he’d been a bit too direct.
“We’ll pretend it’s real. Enter into a good, honest discussion and see what happens,” he said in a conciliatory tone. “Unless you’re afraid to try.”
Jack expected an outright refusal or at least a strong rebuttal. He didn’t expect her to turn on her heel and head back down the hall.
“Hey,” he called out. “Where are you going?”
“To get Coraline’s laptop.” She tossed the words over her shoulder. “Then you and I are picking out wedding invitations.”
Jack narrowed his gaze. “That one is curvy and way too girly.”
Lexi opened her mouth then shut it and counted to ten. If she’d thought he was going to simply go along with her preferences, she’d been mistaken.
When she’d placed the laptop on the coffee table in the Great Room and pulled up one of the largest sites for online wedding invitations, Lexi had made a conscious decision. She wouldn’t even think about Mimi and Hank’s preferences. Instead she’d do as the bride-to-be had suggested and choose the invitations as if they were for her own wedding.
Unfortunately, now there was a male’s opposing opinion thrown into the mix. The style had been their first argument, er, disagreement. She wanted fancy. He wanted casual. After much back-and-forth discussion, she’d reconsidered. This would be an afternoon wedding. In a wildflower garden. A less formal invitation only made sense. Thankfully there were some very cool casual invitations.
Unfortunately, there were also a gazillion of them. They finally settled on one with a celery-colored flower and brown lettering that they’d both liked.
Then it had taken her almost a half hour to get Jack to see that