Framed (Portraits Book #3)

Tracie Peterson

Description

Framed by Tracie Peterson is a fast-paced tale of international intrigue that begins with Gabrielle Fleming, a travel writer who agrees to accompany her sister on a tour of Great Britain. Utilizing the trip as the basis for a series of travel articles, Gabby unwittingly finds herself saddled with a new photographer, Jarod Walls, a man whose background and true identity are shady at best. When Gabby's sister suddenly disappears amid rumors of an enormous, and possibly illegal, debt, Gabby has no choice but to rely on Jarod as she struggles to solve the mystery behind her sister's sinister alliance.

Sujets

• Romance

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 mars 1998
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441235701
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 1998 by Tracie Peterson
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owners. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3570-1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.
Cover illustration by William Graf Cover design by Peter Glöege
Dedicated to my daughter Jennifer:
God gave you to bless me, to teach me,
to keep my sense of humor sharp
and my perspective expanded.
But most of all,
God knew that as my firstborn,
you could show me
a special kind of love.
I’ll love you forever.
One
“I can’t just drop everything to follow you to Europe, Janice,” Gabrielle Fleming told her sister. Stretching out on the wicker lounge, she reached for an awaiting glass of iced tea and enjoyed the early summer warmth of her mother’s solarium.
“But don’t you see, Gabby,” Janice protested, “this will fit perfectly with your job as a travel writer. You can be my traveling companion and see England and Scotland. It’ll be great for you!” Her younger sister’s enthusiasm was not lost on Gabby.
“But I have deadlines. Articles don’t just write themselves. I have a stack of information on Kansas City that has to be compiled into a feature by the end of this month.”
“But that’s ages away.” Janice whipped out a travel brochure and held it aloft. “Just listen to what’s on the itinerary and you’ll see the potential for yourself. Why, after this, you could write a whole book on England.” She didn’t wait for Gabby’s reaction or comment before plunging headlong into the travel jargon so familiar to her older sister.
“ ‘Day One. Professional tour guides will whisk you away to the charm and wonder of nineteenth-century London. Explore the city, walk the hallowed halls of Westminster, view the Houses of Parliament, and see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.’ ”
“Travel babble for ‘wear yourself out on the first day and be grateful to ride the bus for the rest of the trip,’ ” Gabby commented absentmindedly.
Janice ignored her cynicism. “ ‘Day Two. Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace and Stonehenge Monument are only two of the sights you’ll take in on this portion of the trip.’ ”
Gabby held up her hand. “Janice, it sounds like fun, but honestly . . .”
Janice plopped down on the cushioned ottoman in front of her sister. “I really don’t want to make this trip alone, and there’s no one I’d rather travel with. You could write the whole thing off as a business expense and create a ton of stories and articles that would bring you more than enough money to compensate for your time and troubles.”
Janice’s pleading expression caused Gabby to seriously consider the idea for the first time. It wasn’t like Janice to beg. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Gabby asked, “Why are you making this trip?”
Janice shrugged. “I’m majoring in English Literature. I thought it might be a smart thing to do, and I’m getting a real sweet deal on the trip because it’s being set up for students.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not a student.”
“Students may travel with one family member and receive the same discount. The hitch is that I have to book the trip ‘double.’ Which means if I don’t get someone to go along with me, I can’t go.”
“I hardly believe that they’ll kick you off the bus because you’re traveling solo.” She still wasn’t convinced of Janice’s reasoning.
Janice’s blond hair danced around her shoulders as she adamantly shook her head. “No, of course they won’t kick me off. It’s just that I’ll have to pay out a whole lot more money if I travel as a single.”
“So I’ll spot you the extra.”
“No!” Janice declared adamantly. “I want you to go with me. It would mean so much to me, Gabby. Please!”
“So what’s the bottom line on this trip? How much money? How many days?”
Janice smiled and Gabby felt as though she’d just been lured with exact precision into a trap. “The trip lasts fifteen days and it only costs fifteen hundred dollars. We get the special discount because it’s through the college. Well, kind of through the college. The guy who owns the travel agency is good friends with the president of the college, so he sets up special student prices for some of his tours.”
“That is an incredible price,” Gabby had to agree. She’d priced trips to Europe and knew a person was lucky to get anything under two grand. “And it runs for fifteen days?” Mentally she calculated her upcoming schedule.
“Right. You fly overnight on the first day. Day two is when you actually arrive in London, and you spend that day as you like. I thought maybe we could take in a show. I know how you love musicals, and Phantom and Les Miserables are always running in London.”
“Now you’re fighting dirty,” Gabby said with a sly smile and lost her suspicions.
“I have to. You never cut me any slack.”
Just then their mother entered the solarium. Sarah Fleming was juggling her purse, car keys, and a well-worn canvas bag that she generally used when shopping. “What slack are you needing, Janice?” she asked with a hint of amusement.
“I’m trying to talk Gabby into going with me to England. I know she’d love it, and it would fit right in with her work. I was just explaining the possibilities ”
“More like dangling a carrot in front of my nose,” Gabby interrupted. Getting to her feet, she offered her mother the lounge.
“I can’t stay,” Sarah replied. “I’m only here to tell you both that I’m headed to the market. Do we need anything special for the weekend?”
“Nothing I can think of,” Gabby answered.
“No, nothing,” Janice agreed.
Sarah smiled. “Well, you know Southampton will be packed with tourists before the end of the month. We should lay in a good supply of everything and avoid having to deal with the crowds.” She paused and looked at each of them. “I can’t begin to tell you how nice it is having you both here at home. I know a lot of parents might think it a drudge, but you girls are my pride and joy, and you’re very self-sufficient. Frankly, you’re doing me a favor by staying on.”
Gabby shook her head. “No, you’re doing us a favor. What with all the traveling I do it would be a nightmare to keep a separate apartment.”
“If you could find an apartment in the city,” Janice chimed in. “I considered moving in with some friends next year. You know, finish my senior year in ‘The Big Apple’ and be the partying kind of kid? But who could afford the rent?”
Sarah and Gabby couldn’t help but smile at Janice’s words. It seemed Janice was always jumping into one experiment or another. She was the original partying kind of kid. Yet at twenty, she wasn’t much of a kid at all, Gabby thought, and that only served to depress her. Janice was six years her junior, and sometimes her youthful excitement toward life made Gabby feel very old. That, coupled with the fact that all of Gabby’s friends were either married, divorced, or working on second and third marriages. Considering all their problems, maybe single life wasn’t so bad after all.
Sarah seemed not to notice her daughter’s contemplation. “It’s just as well. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live in New York City when they could enjoy a nice Victorian home on Long Island. We haven’t got the noise or traffic here that you’d have to battle there, and your commute isn’t so very bad, is it?”
Gabby noted her mother’s tone of concern and instantly put her fears aside. “It’s a great place to live, and I, for one, plan to stay on for a long time. On my salary, I could never hope to own a home like this, so I’ll just enjoy it a little longer, thank you.” She saw a look of relief pass through her mother’s eyes. Ever since the death of their father three years earlier, Gabby had watched her mother fret and fear for her children as though they might be the next to go.
“Well, I hope you’ll leave it long enough to come with me to Great Britain,” Janice said, hurrying to her mother’s side. “You have to help me convince Gabby to go on the trip.”
“I think it would be nice if you two went together,” Sarah said with little difficulty. “I know how frightening it can be on your own.”
“But that would leave you here alone.”
Sarah smiled. “I could go visit my sister in California, just like I keep promising her I’ll do.”
“That’s it!” Janice took up the idea with great enthusiasm. “Aunt Jean would love it, and Gabby and I wouldn’t have to worry that you were too lonely.”
Their mother frowned at this. “I don’t want you girls to worry about things like that. If that’s why you don’t want to go, Gabby . . .”
Gabby patted her mother’s arm. “Nonsense, Mom. Janice and I will talk it over.”
Sarah offered a smile, looking from Janice to Gabby and then to her hands. “You’re sure there’s nothing you need from the market?”
“Positive,” the sisters chimed in unison.
“All right, then. Janice, would you help me get the car out of the garage?” Sarah asked.
Gabby smiled as her sister went to help back out the Lincoln from the garage. In all the time since their mother had been on her own, she’d never once felt competent enough to get the massive automobile out by herself. One day, Gabby thought to herself, Mama will feel capable of handling the car and our moving away.
Leaving the warmth of the solarium, Gabby drifted aimlessly through the downstairs ro