With a Little Luck Read Online Free PDF Page A

groceries in one arm and the ball in the other hand, she wasn’t able to shake hands.
    “My name is Luck McClure, and this is my son, Toby.” He laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder with a trace of parental pride. “We’re spending the summer at a lake house a few miles from here.”
    Eve was certain she had misunderstood his name. “Did you say Luke McClure?”
    “No,” He smiled, as if it were a common mistake. “It’s Luck — as in good luck. Although in actual fact the proper name of Luck has its derivations in the name of Luke or Lucias. It’s one of those family names that somehow manages to get passed along to future generations.”
    “I see,” she murmured, and glanced at Toby, who had obviously not been named after his father. She wondered if there were another little Luck somewhere at home. At least now she understood why the boy had seemed familiar at first. There was a definite resemblance between him and his father.
    “With that windshield smashed, you aren’t going to be able to see to drive home,” Luck stated. “I would appreciate it if you would let us give you a ride.”
    Under the circumstances, Eve didn’t know any other way that she could get back to the cottage if she didn’t accept his offer. “Yes, thank you,” she nodded.
    “May I have my baseball back?” the boy spoke up.
    “Of course.” She handed it to him.
    “Our car is parked over here.” Luck McClure reclaimed her attention, directing her toward a late-model Jaguar. “Did you say the car was your father’s?”
    “Yes . He’s at the cottage.”
    “Is that where you would like me to drive you?” He walked around to open the passenger door for her while his son climbed in the back seat.
    “Yes. My parents and I are spending the summer there.” Eve waited until he was behind the wheel to give him directions.
    “That isn’t far from our house,” he commented, and Eve wished it was in the opposite direction. Any minute now she just knew he was going to recognize her, which would make things uncomfortable, if not embarrassing. “I’ll make arrangements with your father about paying for the windshield.”
    Briefly Eve wondered if that was a slur at her sex, insinuating that she wasn’t capable of making adequate arrangements because she was a woman. She doubted it, though. Luck McClure was definitely all man, but he didn’t strike her as the chauvinistic type. More than likely he simply wanted to deal directly with the owner of the car. Which suited her fine. The less she saw of him, the less chance there would be that he’d remember her.
    The rounded bill of a baseball cap entered her side vision as the boy leaned over the seat. “I really thought you’d be mad when you saw what we did to your car. How come you weren’t?”
    The question made her smile. “I was too stunned. I couldn’t believe what I saw.”
    “I couldn’t, either, when it happened,” Luck admitted with a low chuckle. It reached out to share the moment of amusement with her and pulled her gaze in his direction.
    With less wariness, Eve let herself forget their first meeting outside the tavern. There was an easy charm about Luck McClure that she found attractive, in addition to his looks. It had a quality of bold friendliness to it.
    “Flirting” was a word that had a female connotation, but this was one time when Eve felt it could apply to a man without diminishing his virility. In fact, the gleam lurking in his blue eyes and the ready smile enhanced it. Part of her wished this was their first meeting, because she knew sooner or later he would recognize his “brown mouse.” And a man like Luck McClure would never be attracted to a brown mouse.
    His gaze slid from the road long enough to meet her eyes. There was warm male interest in the look that ran over her face, a look that probably had its basis in a curiosity similar to the one Eve had just experienced. She was briefly stimulated by it until she remembered how futile it was to