Free Her House Divided (Beach Haven Book 1) by A.J. Goode Page A

out of the bed and letting her sleep, but then remembered her admonition about not treating her “like a china doll”.  If she were any other woman instead of a woman recovering from serious injuries, he reasoned, he wouldn’t be worried about how much sleep she needed.  He would be touching her  here  and stroking her  there  in hopes of waking her—
    Her breathing changed, doing all sorts of wonderful things to the breast he was teasing.  She stirred.
    “Good morning,” he said softly.
    “Mmmm,” she agreed.
    They made love again, slowly this time, taking their time to fully enjoy each other’s bodies in the bright light of the morning sun.  Ethan’s room faced the beach; the humidity was gone and the breeze coming through the window felt cool and moist.  In the distance, they could hear the pounding of the surf on the shore.
    “The Lake sounds wild,” she said drowsily.
    He smiled.  His grandmother would have said that “her” Lake was boiling on a day like this.  As a teen, he would have been out there at the first hint of daylight, flinging himself into the waves for a bit of body-surfing while Bea stood on shore and bellowed at him to get the out of the water.  By the time he finally dragged his exhausted, battered body to shore and followed her meekly to the Seashell, he would feel both depleted and invigorated.
    Not unlike the way he felt at the moment, he reflected.
    “What are you thinking about?”  Tara asked.  “You’re a million miles away.”
    “Just listening to the waves.  Wondering if I’m too old to body-surf.”
    “Mmm.  If you have to ask, then you probably are.”
    “Hey!”
    She laughed at the offended look on his face.   He tried to think of a good comeback, but was spared when the phone began to ring.  He leaned across her body to reach the phone on his bedside table.
    “Ethan? It’s Ben Jacobs.  Do you think you and Tara could come see me today in my office?”  The lawyer’s voice sounded agitated. 
    “Sure.  What’s going on?”
    “It’s Jacqueline.  She’s filed a motion to contest the will.”
     

Chapter Eleven
    “Just as I suspected, Jacqueline is claiming that Beatrice Ahrend was senile and under Tara’s influence when she made up her new will last May,” Ben told them.  “If she can prove it, we will have to revert back to the previous will, which divides everything between Jacqueline and Ethan.”
    “And if that happens?” Tara asked.  “Will she have the legal right to force Ethan to sell his share?”
    “I’m afraid so.  As part-owner of the home, Jacqueline would have every right to force a sale so that she could have access to any money earned by that sale.  In that situation, Ethan would have to agree to sell the property unless he could come up with enough to buy out Jacqueline’s share, according to the appraised value of the property.”
    Ethan watched her slump back in the plush brown chair, avoiding his eyes.  Ben looked back and forth between them and frowned.
    “Of course, if the two of you had plans to sell the property, this means that those plans must be put on hold until the matter of the will is settled,” He told them.  “I wouldn’t be  too concerned, if I were you.  The burden of proof is on her, and her only argument against Bea’s state of mind is that Bea told several people – including me – that the two of you were engaged when it apparently wasn’t true.  Wishful thinking for a happy couple, or delusional behavior brought on by senility?”
    “But we—“ Ethan started, but Ben held up a hand to stop him.
    “Don’t.  I see two attractive young people who just walked in here hand-in-hand, very obviously in love with each other.  The love bite on your neck helps with that impression, Ethan, although you might be in a whole different kind of trouble if you wear one after school starts back up.”  Ben leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, and grinned at them.  “As far