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“Sometimes it happens like that,” Lorna said, running her fingers over the pale blond peach fuzz on Izzy’s small head. “Everything happens at once, then they just show up, right where they’re supposed to be. And then everything just feels right.”
“I’ve got her stuff,” Chevy said, coming up the stairs. “Do you want to come get it?”
“Aww. Isn’t he thoughtful?” Lorna tried to waggle her eyebrows, but grimaced as the movement must have caused pain around her stitches.
Leni walked into the hallway to meet Chevy. He was holding the bag with the Tylenol, a Spiderman ice pack, and two Stanley cups of water.
“This was the only ice pack I saw. And I figured you could use some water too,” he told Leni as he handed her all the things. “You probably haven’t had anything to drink since this all happened.”
Dang it. Lorna was right. Hewasthoughtful.
“No, I haven’t. Thank you.” She took a sip from the straw and the cool water felt amazing on her throat. “How’d you get so good with babies?”
“I’ve grown up on a ranch and bottle-fed just about every kind of baby farm animal there is—from calves to colts to newborn kittens.”
“Are you comparing my adorable niece to a baby cow?” Leni teased him.
He held his hands up in surrender. “No, I wouldn’t dare.”
“She is as cute as a kitten, but the way you just scooped Izzy up and didn’t seem intimidated at all by holding her or giving her a bottle, that’s something different.” A thought occurred to her, and it felt as if the blood suddenly drained from her face. “Do you have a kid? Or a wife?” Surely Lorna would have told her if Chevy had gotten married.
Chevy chuckled. “No. And absolutely not. Not married and no kids. But there have been several moms who’ve brought their newborns to knitting club, and I became the designated baby-holder.”
Relief flooded through, but her cheeks still felt tingly at the memory of Chevy holding her niece so comfortably in the crookof his shoulder. “Is that how you knew Lorna would want to nurse? That was kind of impressive, by the way.”
“Thanks. And yes. Knitting Club could also be called Chatting Club, because all those women do is talk. And the older women love giving advice to the younger ones, especially the new moms. I’ve heard more than I ever wanted to know about mastitis, leaking milk, and bleeding nipples.”
Leni’s eyes widened as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Bleedingnipples?”
He shrugged. “Evidently cracks are a thing unless you use cream after. But, apparently Bag Balm, the stuff they use on cow’s utters, works great.”
“Weird, but I’ll let my sister know.” She held up the things in her hands. “Let me give this stuff to Lorna and get her settled, then I’ll come back to talk to you.”
He nodded. “My boots are in your room. Okay if I wait for you in there?”
“Yes, that’s fine.” She turned away, the thought of him being in her room again after all these years making her heart race.
It took her longer than she’d thought it would to take care of her sister. By the time she’d found pillows to elevate Lorna’s leg, positioned the ice pack carefully on her ankle, gave her the Tylenol and set up her night table with her water, the extra pain reliever, a tube of chap stick, and got her phone plugged into the charger, Izzy had finished nursing and fallen asleep. Lorna was practically asleep herself as Leni took the baby and gently placed her in the bassinet next to the bed.
“Call me if you need anything,” Leni whispered before slipping out of the room. Taking a deep breath, she walked back to her room, not sure what she was going to say to Chevy but knowing that she needed to really thank him for all he’d done for her family that night.
She rounded her door frame then stopped, her heart stuck in her throat, as she took in the sight of Chevy Lassiter curled up on one side of her bed, sound asleep with his head on the pillow next to hers.
Chapter Eight
Leni let Chevy sleep as she took a quick shower then brushed her teeth and changed into a fresh tank top and clean pajama shorts. It was the least she could do. He had to be exhausted. She was too, but she needed to wash the smell of blood and the emergency room off her.
His snores, louder than the cute ones they’d listened to Max making earlier, filled the room as she tiptoed back in and sat on the edge of the bed. She could go downstairs to sleep on the couch and let him have her room, but she wanted to be near Lorna and Max, in case they needed something in the night.
Her shoulders fell. Plus, she was too dang tired to even walk down the stairs. She laid her head on the pillow, curling on her side with her back to Chevy, careful to stay on her side of the bed.
As she lay there, trying to relax her body, the events of the night finally caught up to her—all the fear of finding her sister at the bottom of the stairs, the blood around her head, and the terror of trying to grab her as Lorna passed out and fell again.
It was all too much, and the emotions hit her all at once. A sob bubbled up in her throat, and she pressed her fist to her mouth. Her shoulders shook as tears stung her eyes.
Then Chevy’s arm was around her, pulling her back to spoon against him. His lips were against her ear, his voice low and comforting as he told her, “It’s okay, darlin’. You can cry now.”
He knew her so well—knew the way she held it all together during a crisis then broke down once it was all over and everything was okay.
