Beloved Enemy. Terri Reed
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“I need to find this man.”
Juliet watched Brandon examine the picture, look at her and then back at the images in the photo. “Is this your mother?”
“Yes. That was taken before I was born.”
“Wow, you do look a lot like her. And the man is…”
Refocusing her attention on the picture, Juliet said, “That’s what I need to find out.”
Brandon’s gaze searched her face. “Why?”
She chewed on her bottom lip as she debated telling him the whole sordid truth. Having a friend to confide in and help her process what she knew sounded wonderful.
But was Brandon that person? Could she trust him completely?
“I want to find this man to see if he knows anything about her disappearance and-” her voice caught “-and what exactly his relationship was to my married mother.”
THE SECRETS OF STONELEY: Six sisters face murder, mayhem and mystery while unraveling the past.
FATAL IMAGE—Lenora Worth (LIS#38)
LITTLE GIRL LOST—Shirlee McCoy (LIS#40)
BELOVED ENEMY—Terri Reed (LIS#44)
THE SOUND OF SECRETS—Irene Brand (LIS#48)
DEADLY PAYOFF–Valerie Hansen (LIS#52)
WHERE TRUTH LIES–Lynn Bulock (LIS#56)
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TERRI REED
grew up in a small town nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. To entertain herself, she created stories in her head, and when she put those stories to paper her teachers in grade school, high school and college encouraged her imagination. Living in Italy as an exchange student whetted her appetite for travel, and modeling in New York, Chicago and San Francisco gave her a love for the big city, as well. She has also coached gymnastics and taught in a preschool. She enjoys walks on the beach, hikes in the mountains and exploring cities. From a young age she attended church, but it wasn’t until her thirties that she really understood the meaning of a faith-filled life. Now living in Portland, Oregon, with her college-sweetheart husband, two wonderful children, a rambunctious Australian shepherd and a fat guinea pig, she feels blessed to be able to share her stories and her faith with the world. She loves to hear from readers at P.O. Box 19555, Portland, OR 97280.
Terri Reed
Beloved Enemy
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Terri Reed for her contribution to THE SECRETS OF STONELEY miniseries.
Many thanks to my fellow Stoneley authors: Lenora, Shirlee, Irene, Val and Lynn. You made this fun!
Special thanks to Diane Dietz and everyone at Steeple Hill Books for giving me Juliet and Brandon to play with. I enjoyed them.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
—1 John 4:7
Thou art thy mother’s glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime.
—William Shakespeare
“Sonnet 3,” lines 10–11
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
ONE
Juliet Blanchard adjusted the dress on the fidgety model, making sure all the angles and lines were shown to the best advantage before shooing the girl out onto the runway set up in the middle of the convention center. Thankfully, the mild Vermont fall weather was drawing in a big crowd for tonight’s event.
Blowing a wisp of blond hair out of her eyes and taking a place near the stage behind the curtain, Juliet watched the crowd’s reaction with pleasure. This was her last show with the Vermont State University’s Fashion Design program before graduation in January. Sitting among the crowd were design house representatives hoping to recruit the newest and brightest upcoming designers to their respective design houses.
She would not be one of those recruits.
Juliet tried to squelch the rising disappointment that threatened to choke her. She’d promised her family she’d come to work in the family business after graduation.
But someday she would strike out on her own and make a name for herself as a fashion designer.
Her attention snagged on a tall man standing at the back of the crowd. She guessed he was mid-to late twenties. His wavy, dark-blond hair was just long enough to be considered rebellious yet fashionable. And his dark eyes seemed to be staring straight at her.
She knew there was no way he could see her through the glare of the hot spotlights aimed at the stage, but still, awareness sent tingles over her arms. She’d seen this man at the last four shows. Was he with a fashion house, or the friend of a classmate?
The model returned and Juliet refocused her attention on the clothes. She couldn’t afford to let her mind become distracted by anything or anyone. Too much work lay ahead of her before she made the move to Blanchard Fabrics and too many issues with her family remained unresolved.
Backstage, she helped the model change and then carefully handed the clothing to her assistant to be put on a mannequin for the viewing after the show.
“Juliet, come on,” Giles Manfred called as he hustled his students out onstage for introductions. Juliet reluctantly went. She didn’t have anyone in the crowd cheering for her. Her five sisters were all busy with their own lives and her father wouldn’t have come, even if she’d asked.
Onstage Juliet accepted the applause for what it was: an acknowledgement of her designs. She felt gratified to know her work was well received.
A movement on the audience floor to her right caught her attention. Mr. Tall, Blond and Yummy had weaved his way through the crowd, halting at the foot of the stage steps. The cutting-edge styling of the olive-colored suit fit his broad shoulders and long, lean legs to perfection. Juliet tilted her head