New York on business. He left Kay in my care.’
The look she gave him showed him what she thought of his way of looking after his sister.
His eyes hardened. ‘She wasn’t supposed to have gone out,’ he said abruptly.
‘She said she wanted to do some shopping.’
Nick nodded. ‘Clothes for the baby—as if she doesn’t have enough. I don’t suppose she had you call Richard?’
‘In New York?’ she scorned.
‘No, I suppose not,’ he sighed. ‘Then I’d better do that now.’
‘I’ll go—–’
‘No, wait. Please,’ he added at her rebellious look. ‘The doctor said it won’t be long at all now, so you may as well wait and see what she has. You never know,’ he added mockingly, ‘if it’s a girl she may decide to name it after you. Raquel, you said?’
‘Rachel,’ she corrected irritably.
‘Okay, Rachel,’ he taunted. ‘You might as well wait and see whether it’s a boy or a girl. If it isn’t too late I’ll drive you to your class afterwards.’
Her mouth twisted. ‘It’s already too late. It began five minutes ago,’ she explained.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘It doesn’t matter. I have the books, I can probably do the lesson at home.’
‘Intelligent as well as beautiful!’
Rachel tried her hardest not to blush, but knew she hadn’t succeeded when she saw the satisfaction in his eyes. He knew exactly what sort of effect he was having on her—and he was enjoying the fact. He would probably tell his equally sophisticated girl-friend all about the gauche young girl he had met today when next they met. She knew he would have a girl-friend, a woman he went to bed with; the air of sensuality that surrounded him must be satisfied by some one.
‘Your telephone call,’ she reminded him stiffly.
‘Mm.’ He stood up, each movement he made fluidly co-ordinated. ‘Is there anyone you have to let know where you are?’
Rachel shook her head, her dark hair swinging forward. ‘I called my parents earlier and told them to expect me when they see me.’
‘I’ll drive you home later. Right now I’d better let Richard know he’s about to be a father three weeks early.’ Nick grimaced. ‘He’ll be so damned mad—at himself,’ he added at Rachel’s raised eyebrows. ‘He didn’t want to go on this business trip, but Kay persuaded him to go against his better judgment. He should have known better than to trust my sister, she’s never been on time for anything in her life, although she’s usually late.’
An unwilling smile curved her lips, her teeth small and pearly white, two tiny dimples appearing in her cheeks.
Nick’s eyes widened as he looked at her, almost as if he were seeing her for the first time. ‘I’ll go and make that call,’ he muttered, leaving the room.
Rachel was left with that ‘kicked in the stomach’ feeling again. Nick was like no other man she had ever met, and she acted like a nervous schoolgirl every time he so much as looked at her.
Except when she had made that bitchy comment about him possibly being a father, and he hadn’t liked that at all, his reaction against that had been very strong. Maybe she should apologise? But if she did that she would be making an issue out of it. Better to just forget the subject.
She gave him a warm smile when he returned a few minutes later. ‘Did you manage to speak to your brother-in-law?’ she asked.
‘Yes.’ Nick closed the door. ‘He’s getting the first plane back. He’s a bit annoyed because he wanted to be with Kay at the birth, but I told him he wasn’t missing much.’
Rachel gave a light laugh, her eyes a deep grey. ‘I gather you don’t intend being present when you marry and your wife has a baby.’
‘That depends,’ he drawled.
‘On what?’
‘On whether this imaginary wife wants me there.’
‘Oh,’ she blushed. ‘Of course.’
They both looked up as the door was opened, and looked anxiously at the doctor, relaxing as he beamed at them. ‘Mrs Lennox has a lovely little girl,’ he announced. ‘Seven pounds four ounces.’
Nick swallowed hard. ‘Are they both all right?’
‘Yes,’ the doctor still smiled. ‘Mrs Lennox is very tired, but she would like to see you both before we take her to her room.’
Rachel let Nick hold her elbow as they went in to see the tired but ecstatic new mother, the tiny shawl-wrapped baby she cradled in her arms already fast asleep.
‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ she glowed up at her brother.
He looked down at the tiny red-faced baby, honestly obviously warring with brotherly love. The latter won. ‘Yes, she’s lovely, honey,’ he squeezed his sister’s hand. ‘Beautiful, just like you.’
‘Rachel,’ Kay turned to look at her, ‘thank you so much for all that you did for me, calling Nick and everything. Even if he was late getting here,’ she added teasingly.
‘I was at the court all day, Kay. I had no idea I was going to be needed.’
‘Excuses, excuses!’ she said mischievously.
Rachel was still taking in the fact that Nick was a lawyer. He didn’t look anything like she had imagined a lawyer to look, like the lawyers they portrayed on television. Maybe in one of those formal suits they wore …? No, he just didn’t fit the part.
‘Time for you to rest now,’ he was telling his sister. ‘I’ll be back to see you tomorrow. Richard should be back by then too. Right now I’m going to take Rachel out to celebrate the birth of my new niece.’
‘Oh, I—–’
‘Going to wet the baby’s head?’ Kay teased.
‘Something like that.’ He gave a soft laugh, his hand still firm on Rachel’s elbow. ‘Take care, honey. And give my new niece a kiss from me when she wakes up.’
‘When she’s older I’ll tell her how brave her uncle was at her birth,’ Kay’s eyes twinkled with humour.
‘Time to go now,’ the nurse told them softly, taking the baby and putting her in the waiting cot.
Rachel collected her books from the waiting-room before accompanying Nick outside. ‘I really can’t go for a drink with you,’ she repeated the refusal he had interrupted in his sister’s room.
‘You aren’t under age, are you?’
‘No,’
