Chapter sixteen
Lenny busied herself around the house all day, cleaning everything until it shone, and then hiding herself away in the office so she could look the books over. She had neglected her work for the last few days and there was a lot of information to be entered on the computer. That, and the fact that the accountant had requested a viewing of the books, made her frown. She would have to go over everything with a fine-tooth comb, just to make sure it was all in order. The last thing Sam needed was Mark getting pissed at him because he couldn't keep all the accounts and records straight. Which made a groan issue from her throat. All the herd records needed updating as well. She sighed and switched the computer on, staring blankly at the screen as it started glowing. Well, at least she had enough work to keep her occupied for several hours....if not days. That should take her mind off Kevin and his stupid arrogant attitude, she huffed, knuckling down to work at last. She didn't want to admit, even to herself, that it hurt to think he didn't want her.
A couple of hours later and her eyes were starting to hurt from staring at the screen for so long. So far the computer had crashed twice and she had lost a whole heap of work, but she was determined not to let her temper get the better of her, or else the whole thing would be thrown out of the window. She really didn't need this, she thought grumpily, saving what she had just done. Maybe she'd learn to save more often, she thought, shaking her head. She always managed to forget. Mind you, she thought with a slight smile, if she did throw it out of the window maybe she'd be lucky enough to hit Kevin with it. He'd look so much more attractive with his head buried inside a computer screen.
A small noise made her turn her head and she gave a gasp of shock when she saw him standing behind her, holding her coat in his big hand. "Ready?" he asked her, raising one eyebrow and looking grim.
"Ready for what?" she asked him, swinging her chair around and giving him what she hoped was a fairly detached look.
"To visit Sam and Rachel? I told him I'd bring you along with me," he said.
She would have loved to argue with him, but she really wanted to go to the hospital, so she just nodded before turning back to the computer and shutting it down.
Kevin stared at her in surprise, having been geared up for another argument. He held her coat out to her and then sighed deeply when it was snatched rudely out of his hand. Well, there was the moodiness he had expected, even if she wasn't saying anything. He let her lead the way out of the house and followed silently, coming to the conclusion that the silence would probably last all the way to the hospital and very likely all the way back as well. Still, it was better this way. Far better, he thought, as he forced his eyes away from the enticing curves of her backside.
The visit to Sam and Rachel at least kept him from dwelling on her prolonged silence, and he couldn't help smiling as he watched the other couple fuss over the tiny infant. Rachel was still slightly unwell, but had been told she would be able to return home in another day or so. It was only when Lenny got to hold the baby that Kevin had a problem staying in the room. She looked so....right, he thought, holding a tiny new-born like that. And she was so relaxed with it all, too. She would suit being a mother and he suddenly got a vivid picture of her with their own baby, a thought that made him swallow nervously.
"So, have you decided yet? About a name?" Lenny asked, her voice soft and gentle so she didn't disturb the little person she held.
Rachel grinned and looked up at Sam, who looked no less proud. "Yep. She's called Danae Elizabeth Hart."
"Danae?" Lenny asked, looking up with interest.
"Yeah, it's a Greek goddess's name...or something," Sam said, shrugging and nodding to Rachel. "Ask her, she knows more about it. All I know is it's pretty and it suits my little baby."
Rachel laughed along with Lenny at Sam's obvious pride for his new daughter and Kevin found himself joining in. And he suddenly wished he did have what Sam now had. Lenny reluctantly looked over at Kevin and even more reluctantly moved towards him. "Would you like a hold?" she asked, not looking in his eyes.
He stared down at the baby, stroking the small face with one finger and marvelling at how soft the skin was. "I...er....I guess so," he mumbled, feeling a bit awkward.
Lenny was surprised that he seemed nervous and she looked at his face for the first time, her eyes darting immediately away when he caught her gaze. She held the baby out and placed it in his arms, swallowing down the wave of emotion she got from seeing him holding a child. Danae looked even tinier in his big hands, and she wondered what it would be like to have given him a baby of his own, enthralled by the picture he made. His face was softer than she had yet seen it, and she could swear she saw a glint of moisture in his eyes as he crooned softly to the baby.
"Gee, he looks good holding a baby, huh?" Sam whispered in her ear as he came up behind her, and she jerked her head around to look at him, hoping Kevin hadn't heard.
"That's not funny!" she hissed at him, swallowing down the lump in her throat. "I think I'll....I'll go and get some coffee. Want some?"
Sam nodded and watched her leave, amusement shining from his eyes. Kevin spotted it and narrowed his own, raising one eyebrow enquiringly. "She's gone to get coffee," Sam explained.
"What's so amusing about that?" he asked, one eye narrowing suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing at all. Cute isn't she?" Sam asked, looking Kevin straight in the eye and smiling broadly.
"What?" Kevin asked, stunned.
"The baby. Cute, isn't she?" Sam repeated, his eyes glowing with even more mirth now. He watched as the big man dropped his eyes to the baby he held, frowning slightly before pulling himself together.
"Yeah, she's damn beautiful, you're very lucky," Kevin said, grinning as he relaxed. "She could have looked like you."
Sam tightened his lips and glared. "Thanks a lot. Give me my little girl back!" he said, gently taking the baby from Kevin and moving back over to sit beside his wife. "So, was everything okay last night?"
Kevin tried not to look guilty, but he found it hard. "In what way?"
The other man looked at him silently for a few seconds, a thoughtful light entering his eyes. "I only meant did you get home okay?"
"Oh, yeah, we did," Kevin muttered, sitting down in a chair and looking anywhere but at Sam, which immediately made the other man suspicious.
"What happened this time?" Sam asked him, absently rocking his daughter as he spoke.
"Nothing happened," Kevin said, shrugging. He wondered what someone would normally say if nothing really had happened and he frowned, thinking he'd better play the part at least, otherwise Sam would figure it out anyway. "Why would you think something happened?"
"No particular reason," Sam said calmly, making Kevin almost sigh with relief, before his next words tensed him up again. "Just that you two don't seem so comfortable around each other today, and you won't look me in the eyes....why, it's enough to make a big brother think that his baby sister was compromised by the big nasty man, isn't it?" he crooned to the baby, lifting his eyes to cast a stony glance at Kevin, noticing the way he stiffened and immediately looked guilty. "Damn, now I know why Mark doesn't bother asking you to poker games."
"Nothing happened," Kevin said, looking his friend in the eyes. "Nothing....too far, anyway. As for the way we're acting...she's mad at me."
"Why?"
"Because nothing happened, and because I don't really know shit about women's emotions," Kevin said, giving a small smile and raising an eyebrow.
"I see. And that's all?"
Kevin nodded. "Yep."
"So I guess you're going to talk about it, clear the air?"
"Nope."
Sam looked at the big blond man in exasperation. "I thought you'd finally decided you liked her?"
"No, you decided that. I've decided we're far better off hating each other, and now we do. So everything's back to normal again."
Sam looked at his wife and shook his head. "Some people are born stupid and never learn any different," he told her, smiling when she laughed. "Let's hope this little one never gets that way."
"No chance of that, we wouldn't let her," Rachel said, her smile getting wider when the baby woke up and instantly started demanding to be fed. She took her out of Sam's arms and started to untie her gown, glancing up at Kevin as she did so. "I hope you don't mind?"
Sam almost burst out laughing when Kevin gave her a horrified look before abruptly standing up and wiping his hands on his legs. "I'll just...er...well...maybe I'd better wait outside?"
"No need," Sam said, watching him with vast amusement. "Rachel doesn't mind at all, do you, honey?"
Rachel shook her head and Kevin started looking trapped. "No, it's better if I don't....er....I'll go help Lenny with that coffee," he stammered, turning quickly away as Rachel put her hand inside the opening of her gown. He left the room as if the dogs of hell were at his heels, hearing Sam's laughter as he shut the door. Looking around the hallway he saw Lenny walking slowly back towards the room, her head down as she concentrated on not tipping the small cardboard tray she was carrying. He couldn't help running his eyes down her small figure, memories of almost being inside her assailing him and making his breath catch. Damn! He didn't want to be feeling this way, not about her. Not again.
She looked up and caught him staring at her, her eyes widening briefly at the intensity of that look before she dropped her eyes again and moved to go past him into the room. His hand stopped her and she looked up again, frowning at the stain of colour on his cheeks. "What's wrong with your face?" she asked him, not really wanting to talk but needing to know.
"My face? What about it?" he asked, wiping a hand over it as though something was stuck there.
"It's red," she said, cocking her head to one side when he stiffened his shoulders and tightened his lips.
"Nothing, it was just hot in there," he said, grabbing the tray and sitting in one of the chairs that lined the wall.
"What are you doing? I want to give that coffee to Sam."
"Rachel's feeding the baby," he explained.
"Oh, I see," Lenny said, then stared at his red face again and tried not to laugh. Oh, I see," she repeated, her tone making him look up at her. He instantly knew that she realised he was embarrassed, and it made him feel stupid, not an emotion he enjoyed very much. Unable to think of anything to say, he just ignored her, pulling one of the cups out of the holder and adding sugar and cream, both of which she had brought along.
Lenny watched him for a few moments and then sat down on a chair a few away from his, studying him covertly as he drank his coffee. She couldn't believe that he felt uncomfortable or embarrassed. Or that she had made him feel even worse, judging by his sulky face. Whoever said men were like children was dead right, but she never thought she would have said it about someone Kevin's size. Still, regardless of the fact that he was vaguely human, she still didn't really want to speak to him, not after last night. She picked up her own coffee and started sipping slowly at it, wondering if Sam or Kevin would try and make her stay at Mark's house tonight. Of course, there was no way she would do it, but she wondered all the same.
***A bit long winded I know...just bear with it for a while, it'll get better I promise!***
