Lucky Charm (Lucky 1)

“Fine.” He exhaled a harsh breath. “It’s not about the book. It’s about her. And you.”

Derek narrowed his gaze. “You always liked Gabrielle. So what gives now? Especially since you haven’t seen her in over ten years?”

Hank stomped over to the window and glanced out at the yard between their two houses. “When she first came back, it was about the curse. I didn’t want her dragging up old issues that should remain dead and buried.”

“Not possible, but go on.”

“When I saw how many people showed up for her talk, I realized you were right about that. People are fascinated by our love lives, or lack of them.” Hank braced his hands on the windowsill. “I resigned myself to her writing the damn book. Because whether she does or not, people around here are still going to gossip about the Corwin men.”

Derek nodded. “Agreed. So…?” He prodded his father, wanting him to get to the point. “What’s your problem with Gabrielle?”

“She’s setting you up for another fall, that’s what.”

Derek had a feeling he knew where his father was going. To a place he’d been avoiding thinking about since his night with Gabrielle.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with her and now she’ll be living with you. You’ll fall in love with her all over again and it’ll make what you went through with Marlene seem like child’s play in comparison.”

Derek’s head began to pound. “I won’t fall in love with her.” He clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides.

“Good.” Hank turned to face him. “I hope you mean that. You weren’t in love with Holly’s mom, isn’t that right?”

Derek nodded. “She was a good woman, a good friend and a good mother. She deserved better than what I was able to give her because I wasn’t in love with her.”

“And yet?” Hank asked, obviously pushing him to say the words.

“And yet I lost my fortune, my marriage and I nearly lost my daughter,” Derek muttered, hating like hell having to discuss the curse out loud.

Hank wrapped a fatherly arm around his shoulder. “I know it hurts, but ignoring the truth will end up hurting even more.”

Derek breathed in deep. “I won’t fall in love with Gabrielle,” he said to his father, wondering how he’d keep his promise when he feared he’d already broken it.

SHARON PACED THE SMALL bedroom of the house she and Richard had bought together. After Gabrielle had dropped her off, she’d called her fiancé and asked him to meet her after work. They needed to talk.

She’d decided to level with him about what was going on. She only hoped he could handle it.

Expecting him around five-thirty, which was when he usually left work at his law firm, Sharon was surprised to hear his key in the lock late that afternoon.

She met him at the front door.

He stepped inside, and though she started forward to embrace him, he walked past her and placed his briefcase down on the floor.

Uh-oh.

She swallowed hard. “You’re home early.”

He inclined his head. “You said you needed me.”

Yet he remained at a distance, emotionally and physically. And she hadn’t even confided in him yet.

“So how was your conference?” he asked.

She rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms, but the chill remained. “There wasn’t one.”

He turned toward her, his handsome face more a mask of disappointment than confusion. She shivered even more.

“Would you care to explain?” he asked.

“Come. Sit down.” She led the way into the small study they would one day share. They planned on building bookshelves to line the walls, her own little library, his desk and home office.