Free Surrender to Love by Raine English Page A

morning. And look, the storm’s passed.” She turned her glance to the French door, where small beams of sunlight shone through the glass as dawn broke over the water. “I know it’s early, but I’m starving. Feel like breakfast?”
    He grinned at her. “Worked up an appetite, did you?”
    “Guess so.”
    “What are you making?”
    “Bacon and eggs.”
    “I could go for that.” He pulled her closer and pressed his lips against hers, then rolled out of bed to put on his pants.
    Her nightgown lay in a puddle on the floor, and her underwear dangled from the arm of her chair. He picked them up and tossed them to her.
    Tara slipped them on, then padded over to the closet for her terry cloth robe. After belting it tightly around her waist, she was ready to go.
    They took the back stairs, not wanting to wake her grandmother. Tara bounded down first, with Easton right behind. When her feet reached the last step, she let out a shriek. The back door was wide open, and broken glass carpeted the floor below it.
    “What the hell!” Easton leapt around her off the stairs and into the kitchen.
    “Careful of the glass,” she cried. “You’re barefoot.”
    Before he could answer, a whoosh of black tore out of the library and down the hall toward the front door. Easton was on him in an instant, tackling the intruder in the foyer.
    While the two of them struggled, Tara called 911, then she grabbed the broom from the pantry and raced down the hall. By the time she got to them, Easton was on his back. The man dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask was on top, punching him. She swung the broom handle as hard as she could, whacking the criminal in the back of the head. He collapsed on Easton’s chest.
    Easton rolled the unconscious man off him and sat up. “Good work.” He grinned at Tara as he wiped at the blood running down the side of his face from a cut above his left eye.
    Tara dropped the broom and got down on her knees beside him. “You need to go to the hospital.”
    “I’ll be fine.”
    “But what if you need stitches?”
    “It probably looks a lot worse than it really is.” He reached over to the man lying beside him and pulled off the ski mask. His dark brown hair was matted down on his head, and his ruddy complexion had gone pale. “Tim?” Easton staggered to his feet, and Tara wrapped her arms around his shoulders to steady him.
    “You know this man?”
    “He’s the brewery’s CFO.”
    She stared down at him, baffled. “Why would he break into my grandmother’s house?”
    “I think I might know the answer to that, but why don’t we ask him?” The man had begun to stir. Easton picked up the broom, holding it over Tim’s chest, ready to strike, if he moved. “Why don’t you tell us what you were doing, before I do more than just knock you out?”
    He gritted his teeth. “I gave Addison the best years of my life. I wasn’t going to risk having someone come into the company, someone who knew nothing about it, and tell me how to do my job.”
    “And maybe discover that you’d been embezzling company funds?”
    He looked up at Easton in shock. “You knew?”
    “My grandfather had an idea someone was stealing from the company. He just didn’t know who. My bet was on Bennett.”
    “I’m not the only guilty party here,” Tim spat. “Why don’t you tell your dirty little secret?”
    Easton narrowed his eyes. “And what secret is that?”
    “I overheard everything you, your father, and Bennett discussed. It wasn’t hard. Didn’t exactly try to keep your voices down.”
    Tara stared at Easton with wide eyes. “What is he talking about?”
    “I’m talking about the codicil. I’m not the only one who wanted it. Why do you think he’s been spending so much time with you? To find out if you had it, that’s why.” Tim sneered with sick satisfaction.
    Tara blinked quickly in disbelief. “Is that true?”
    A siren’s wail prevented an answer as a police car screeched to a halt in front