She looked down at the scene below in horror. “What in the world is going on here?”
Tara ran up the stairs to help her down. “I think it’s time we installed an alarm system,” she answered, trying to make light of the situation, and at the same time thinking that might not be a bad idea.
Officer Dailey cuffed Tim and then dragged him outside. She watched as Easton went out with them. Her mind was spinning as a gamut of emotions assailed her. She didn’t know what to think. Had Easton used her, as that criminal implied? The thought sickened her. Last night, his emotions had seemed so real…the way he’d touched her…made her feel… That couldn’t have been an act, could it?
She helped her grandmother into the parlor and sat next to her on the sofa as she explained everything.
When she finished, her grandmother said, “All this because of Addison’s codicil.”
Tara sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess when there’s money at stake, people will do just about anything.”
Her grandmother reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’m not surprised that Boyd and Bennett would want to get their hands on it, but I find it hard to believe that Easton would be a party to that. Don’t jump to conclusions and believe what a crook says. You need to speak to your young man.”
Tara swallowed hard and quickly looked away so her grandmother wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. She glanced out the window to see Officer Dailey coming up the walkway. Although they’d left the front door open, he used the brass door knocker before entering the house. “I’m taking the suspect down to the station now. You ladies are welcome to pick up a report any time. I’m sure you’ll be sleeping a lot easier now.”
“Thank you, Officer Dailey.” Tara got up and walked him out. Easton was standing beside the police car. Blood still oozed from the cut above his eye. He caught her looking at him and held her gaze. She had a hard time reading his expression but thought she saw a glimpse of regret, although she couldn’t be sure because he turned and walked away. She watched him cut across the lawn to go next door. When he was out of sight, she slowly closed the door. There was a heavy feeling in her stomach and chest as she walked back into the parlor.
“Where’s Easton? Isn’t he coming back inside?” her grandmother asked.
Tara shook her head. Her tongue felt thick. “He went home. I’m going to go clean up the glass.” She walked with leaden steps to the kitchen. When she got there, she just stood in the center of the room, staring at the back door’s broken window but not really seeing it. A haze of despair blurred her vison. All she could think about was last night. Just a few short hours ago, she’d been in Easton’s arms and blissfully happy. How quickly that happiness had been shattered. She glanced down at the floor and all the glittering pieces of glass and realized she’d forgotten the broom. It was still in the foyer. When she went back for it, her grandmother was coming down the stairs with her book tucked down her arm.
“Thought I’d do some reading, but I’d rather have you come sit with me for a while. Don’t worry about the glass now. It can wait.”
“You’re right, and I’d rather sit and talk to you anyway.” Tara walked with her into the parlor, and then sat down next to her on the sofa.
Her grandmother put the book in her lap and studied Tara’s face. “You remind me so much of your father. Every time I look at you, I see him, and it makes me regret even more what happened between him and your grandfather. Many times I wished I could go back in time and change things. Addison felt the same way, you know. He loved your dad and always regretted letting his dream—the brewery—come between them. That’s why when he made the change to his will, he gave me specific instructions on what to do with it should he die. He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.” She opened the book’s cover and reached inside its flap to pull out a paper folded in thirds.
When she opened it, the first thing Tara noticed was the notary stamp, then the witness signatures. She clasped her hand over her mouth and gasped. “Grandmother, that’s the codicil!”
“I wanted to keep it in a safe place, and one that I’d remember, so where better than inside my book.” She handed the document to Tara. “I was waiting to give this to you until after you’d been here awhile. You see, your grandfather and I wanted to give you the chance to make up your own mind, to determine your own future, not what we wanted for you. However, considering all that’s been going on here the past few days, I thought it was time you knew about your inheritance.”
Tara shook her head in disbelief as she read the codicil. “Grandfather left his half of the brewery to me?”
Her grandmother gently put her hand on Tara’s arm. “Only if you want it. If not, you can sell it to Frank.”
Her mind was awhirl. “Do I have to make the decision right now?”
“Of course not, dear. I know there’s a lot to consider. I don’t know if this’ll be of any help to you in making up your mind, but Frank’s a good man, and he’s not stupid. He knew Boyd and Bennett needed to be monitored. That’s why he asked Easton to be his eyes and ears.”
Her heart swelled with the realization that Easton might not have deceived her after all. “Thanks for telling me that, Grandmother. It is very helpful.”
~*~
After Tara cleaned up the kitchen, she arranged for a glass company to come out and replace the broken window pane, then went upstairs to take a shower. The hot water felt good. Every muscle in her body was tense as she mulled the pros and cons of both scenarios. If she sold her share of the brewery, she’d be set financially, but what else would she have? There was nothing waiting for her back in New Hampshire. But if she kept her inheritance, what then? She knew nothing about running a brewery and had never even considered owning a business. Was she up for the challenge?
Tara squirted shampoo into her hands. As she lathered up her hair, she thought back to the tour Easton had given her of Spencer Douglas and the huge process that went into making the beer. She remembered his passion and excitement for the business as he explained the role of each piece of equipment. She imagined her grandfather feeling that same joy every day he went to work, and how disappointing it must have been when her father didn’t share in it, choosing instead to take another path in life. If she gave up her inheritance, the brewery would no longer be Spencer Douglas, and her family’s legacy would die.
She thought of her grandmother wandering around that big old house all alone with no one to talk to but a ghost.
She could see more clearly now which direction she was leaning. There was only one part of the equation that she needed to help make her final decision. Tara quickly finished her shower, then put on a pair of jeans and a yellow tank.
Last night’s storm had given way to a gorgeous summer day. She opened the French door and stepped onto the deck, thinking she’d let her hair air dry in the sun. Down below, though, out at the end of the pier, she spotted Easton.
This was the perfect time to put her mind at ease. She went back inside and then downstairs. Her grandmother had fallen asleep in the parlor with her book still in her lap. Tara gently touched her shoulder. “I’m going out back for a bit. I’ll be on the pier. There’s someone I need to talk to.”
Her faded eyes twinkled with understanding. “You don’t have to rush back in, my dear. I’m perfectly content right where I’m at.” She closed her eyes, and a small smile turned up the corners of her mouth.
She kissed her grandmother’s cheek, then raced out the door. When she reached the pier, Easton had his back to her as he stared out at the ocean.
She walked up to him. “My grandmother told me what happened to your mom. I’m so sorry.”
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and turned his head to look at her. He had a bandage covering the cut above his eye and an ugly discoloration on his cheek. “It was a long time ago, but some hurts never go away.”
“I also found out your grandfather asked you to keep an eye on Bennett and your dad. I just need t
o know, though, if what we had was real or were you just going along with things because you had to?”
He took his hands out of his pockets and faced her. “That might have been the case to begin with, but almost immediately I knew I was falling for you. What we have is one hundred percent real.” He pulled her into the circle of his arms. “Last night was the best night of my life.” He crushed her against him, and his mouth sought hers hungrily.
When their lips parted, she said devilishly, “You know, I’ve been thinking, if I’m going to own a brewery, I’m going to need someone to teach me the business. Not to mention help me deal with certain members of your family.”
Astonishment touched his face. “Are you saying what I think you are?”
She slid her fingers around the back of his neck and stared up at him. “Yep, my grandfather made me his beneficiary, and Grandmother had the codicil hidden in her book.”
His eyes shone with joy. “So you’re going to stay here forever?”
She arched a brow. “Well, I don’t know about that. Forever’s a long time, unless you’re spending it with someone you love.”
He dipped his head, so that his mouth brushed hers. “My feelings exactly.”
The End
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading Surrender to Love, book one of the Breakers Island romantic suspense series. I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider leaving a review at your favorite online retailer. It will help other people find the book.
Book two, Surrender the Night, is available for pre-order and will be released in October 2015.
I also write paranormal and sweet small-town romances. My new lighthearted contemporary romance series, Love Always, will be available late summer 2015. It features three childhood friends who encounter a lot more than anticipated while searching for love.
To receive information on all of my new releases, please sign up for my newsletter.
I love to hear from readers. You can write to me at [email protected], like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter.
Don’t forget to visit my website too!
—Raine English
Other Books by Raine English
Mistress of Raghery
A Gothic romantic suspense set in the Victorian era.
Sheeva Desmond always believed she’d marry for love. But when she’s left penniless after her parents’ deaths and her fiancé cancels their wedding, she’s convinced love is a fairy tale. Desperate to find a way to support herself, she takes a position as governess to a troubled mute boy. She never expects to lose her heart to the boy’s handsome father. Or to become entangled in a deadly mystery.
Ronan Quinn, Master of Rathlin Island, spent years in an unhappy marriage. When his faithless wife threatens to leave him and is later found dead, he blames himself for not keeping her safe. He’s left with a hardened heart and a devastated young son. The beautiful governess he hires may have the courage to help his son and to heal Ronan’s soul. But a murderer from his past haunts the shadows and threatens them all.
* * *
Tin Angel
A contemporary holiday romance.
Alice Hart is a lonely old woman who believes true love happens only once in a lifetime. When the angel Christmas tree topper given to her by the fiancé she lost sixty years ago comes to life, Alice’s wish to be young again is granted, but she’s given only ten days to find true love or die unfulfilled. So she concocts a story that she’s Alice’s long lost niece, hoping to attract the attention of the handsome tenant renting her upstairs apartment.
Disillusioned by his experiences with high maintenance women, Jack Billings yearns to find an old-fashioned girl who is more interested in his heart than in material things. When his elderly landlady vanishes, her newly arrived niece, Ally, seems to hold the clues to her disappearance. Jack at first dismisses Ally as another material girl, but as he digs deeper into Alice’s mystery, he learns that Ally is more than what she seems and worries that the girl he’s coming to love might be a scam artist or worse.
* * *
Date with a Vampire
A paranormal romance.
Melody Johnson dreams of meeting a man as dashing and wonderful as the heroes in the books she reads. Being a realist, she knows that’s highly unlikely. Besides, men always leave her for someone more exciting—until she wins the lottery, that is. Pursued by scores of men happy to help spend her fortune, Melody longs to have her quiet life back. When a network executive offers a reality show, she seizes the opportunity to show the world she’s off the single’s market. Melody leaves her quaint hometown in New York for a sunny island in the Pacific where twenty gorgeous bachelors will vie for her heart and where she can stage a phony engagement. What she never expects, though, is to fall in love with a vampire.
Guystof LeBreque is a four-hundred-year-old Romanian vampire who hates the taste of blood. He’s roamed the earth for centuries, loathing the monster trapped inside him. After his mother’s death at the hands of vampire-hunting assassins, Guystof vows never to turn a woman into a vampire. But when his father gives him an ultimatum to marry a rich woman in sixty days or lose his legacy to his bloodthirsty brother, Guystof battles his conscience. Does he keep the promise he made to himself, or does he keep his brother from power? Guystof resorts to drastic measures. He becomes a bachelor on a hit reality show. What he doesn’t anticipate is losing his heart to the woman whose mortal life he must end.
* * *
Some Christmas Magic
A sweet small-town contemporary romance.
When Harper Malone’s boyfriend dumps her just before Christmas, leaving her with his gift—a nonrefundable holiday vacation for two at a Vermont ski lodge—her childhood crush steps in to take his place. But will memories of the past ruin the trip or will she rekindle a lost love?
No matter how many women he dates, Cole Underwood just can’t find the right girl. Because he’d found her in high school a decade ago and lost her there too. This Christmas he has a chance to win her back, but will he make another huge mistake that might drive her away for good?
* * *
Forever My Valentine
A sweet small-town contemporary romance.
Returning home after a disastrous job relocation, Miranda Kane is determined to avoid the man she left behind—and whose heart she broke. Until she finds a hidden treasure in a music box. An engagement ring engraved with a decades’ old date. And the only man who can help reunite the precious ring with its owner is the last man she wanted to see.
When Ian Anders sees Miranda come into his antique shop, his defenses go up. She walked away from him once without a backward glance. Since then he’s given up on love. But when their eyes meet and sparks fly, he wonders if maybe there’s a Valentine’s Day miracle in store for them.
A snowy night’s journey to bring the ring to its elderly owner turns into a second chance at romance for Miranda and Ian. But as the frost melts from around their hearts, it exposes old hurts and deceptions. This Valentine’s Day could be the start of something wonderful. Or the proof that their love was never meant to be.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Raine English began her career as a journalist, but writing romance novels was her passion. Her stories have won many awards, including finalling in the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® and winning the Daphne du Maurier Award.
When not behind her computer, you can find her reading, usually something involving the supernatural. She lives in New England with her family and her French bulldog, Bailey.
Visit her website at http://www.RaineEnglish.com for information on all her releases.
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