Free With a Little Luck by Janet Dailey Page B

she tried the casual approach and reached in the basket for the cold thermos.
    “I guess we’ll have to make do with lemonade,” she shrugged brightly.
    “I like lemonade,” Toby inserted as she set the thermos aside to arrange a sandwich and a portion of chips on a paper plate and handed it to him. “This looks good, Eve.”
    “I hope you like it.” She fixed a plate for Luck, then one for herself, leaving the cheese, fruit and crackers on top of the basket for dessert.
    “Have you ever looked for the lost mine, Eve?” Toby munched thoughtfully on his sandwich while he studied her.
    “Not really. Just a few times when I was your age.”
    The subject continued to fascinate him. Throughout the meal, he pumped her for information, dredging up tidbits of knowledge Eve had forgotten she knew. Toby refused the slice of cheese she offered him when his sandwich was gone but took the shiny apple.
    Luck ate his. When it was gone, he used the knife to slice off another chunk. “This is good cheese.”
    “Wisconsin cheese, of course,” she smiled. “Anything else would be unpatriotic.”
    “Did Chief Namekagon really have seven wives?” Toby returned to his favorite subject.
    “Yes, but I guess he must have kept the location of the mine a secret from them, too,” Eve replied.
    “Seven wives,” Toby sighed, and glanced at his father. “Gee, dad, all you need is one.”
    “Or none,” Luck murmured softly, and sent a look of silencing sharpness at his son. “More lemonade, Toby?”
    “No, thanks.” He tossed his apple core into the small sack Eve had brought along for their wastepaper. Rising, Toby dusted the sandwich crumbs from his legs. “Is it okay if I do a little exploring?”
    At Luck’s nod of permission, Toby took off. Within minutes, he had disappeared along a faint animal path that led into the island’s thick forest. For the first few minutes, they could hear him rustling through the underbrush. When that stopped, Eve became conscious of the silence and that she was alone with Luck. Her gaze strayed to him, drawn by an irrepressible compulsion, only to have her heart knock against her ribs when she found him watching her.
    “More cheese?” She spoke quickly to cover the sudden disturbance that seethed through her. In the far distance, there was the sound of a boat traversing the lake, reminding her they weren’t the only ones in the vicinity, no matter how isolated they seemed.
    “No. I’m full.” Luck shook his dark head in refusal.
    Inactivity didn’t suit her at the moment because she knew it would take her thoughts in a direction that wasn’t wise. “I’d better pack all this away before it attracts all the insects on the island.”
    Eve tightly wrapped the cheese that was left and stowed it in the basket with the thermos of lemonade and the few potato chips that were left. As she added the paper sack with their litter to the basket, she was conscious that Luck had risen. When he crouched beside her, balanced on the balls of his feet, she found it difficult to breathe normally. His warm scent was all around her, heightened by the heat of the sun. She was kneeling on the blanket, sitting on her heels, aware of him with a fine-tuned radar.
    “The food was very good. Thanks for the picnic, Eve.” His hand reached out to cup the back of her head and pull her forward.
    Lifting her gaze, she watched the sensual line of his mouth coming closer. She couldn’t have resisted him if she wanted to, which she didn’t. Her eyes closed an instant before his mouth touched her lips, then moved onto them to linger an instant. The kiss started her trembling all the way to her toes. Much too soon he was lifting his head, leaving her lips aching for the warm pressure of his mouth.
    The very brevity of the kiss reminded her that it was a gesture of gratitude. It had meant no more than a peck on the cheek. She would be foolish to read more into it than that. Lowering her head, she struggled to appear