Pretense

Lori Wick

Description

All dressed up in a fresh new cover, Pretense, the bestselling novel from Lori Wick is ready for a brand new generation of readers.Marrell, a happily married army wife, adores her family, but throughout her life she's felt something missing. When she discovers that the void is spiritual, she is afraid to tell her husband. Will he understand that he cannot meet all of her needs, and that she cannot meet all of his?Covering the lives of Marrell and her two daughters, Mackenzie and Delancey, from the 1970s to the 1990s, Pretense is a character-rich novel written from Lori's heart that shows the patient love of God and the promise of His forgiveness for all who seek Him.

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736932219
• Langue: English

Extrait

Verses marked NASB are taken from The New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Cover design by Terry Dugan Design, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover photos Butch Martin/Alamy Images and Alyson Aliano/Stone+/Getty Images
PRETENSE
Copyright 1998 by Lori Wick Published by Harvest House Publishers Eugene, Oregon 97402 www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wick, Lori.
Pretense / Lori Wick.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-1688-2
ISBN-10: 0-7369-1688-1
Product # 6916881
I. Title.
PS3573.I237P74 1998 98-19833
813 .54-dc21 CIP
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, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 09 10 11 12 / BC-MS / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
About the Author
L ORI W ICK is one of the most versatile Christian fiction writers in the market today. Her works include pioneer fiction, a series set in Victorian England, and contemporary novels. Lori s books (more than 4 million copies in print) continue to delight readers and top the Christian bestselling fiction list. Lori and her husband, Bob, live in Wisconsin and are the parents of the three coolest kids in the world.
The nature of this book, the very way I held it in my heart- planning it, dreaming about it, talking about it, and nearly living it years before conception-gives me a need for a special dedication. This book is dedicated to my 18-year marriage to Bob Wick. No one in my life has portrayed Christ to me more strongly than he has.
This one is for us, Robert.
May the next 18 years be as sweet as the last.
Acknowledgments

Of all the books I ve ever written, the journey toward this one has been the longest. So many people and places, so many years in my mind Here is but a simple page to acknowledge the dear people who traveled with me.
Just a word of thanks to
Mary Kay Deese and Kathi Mackenzie-Foster for the loan of your daughters names, Mackenzie Rose and Delancey Joy. Such wonderful names. They literally inspired me to do this story.
Spencer, originally from New York, New York, who works at the Hyatt at Beaver Creek. Your gracious kindness as you gave us a tour has long been remembered. To this day I wish I d given you a huge tip. Had my chance, muffed it!
Abby, who was a bright, fun, seven-and-a-half- and eight-year-old while I wrote this book. Thank you for all you are able to do and the help it was to watch you and see Mackenzie and Delancey in action. I m so glad you re my girl.
Thank you, Matt, for being halfway between 11 and 12 during this book. It was such a help to see you in the sixth grade and to know what it was like and how you felt. It s so easy to forget that a sixth grader is not an adult but a wonderful, energetic child. Thank you for the way you reminded me. You are my sunshine, and I love you.
Thank you, Tim, for your eighth-grade year. I didn t see this part of the story coming, but there it was, and I needed you. Just little things-like your track experience and watching you do algebra homework-were such helps to me. You are so grown up, and I m so proud of the wonderful big brother you ve become.
Thank you, Matt, Sandy, Justin, and Tory Sommerfeldt. No one could ask for sweeter neighbors. The Bob Wick family is immeasurably blessed to have you so near.
Thank you, Cindi Fouch. This comes a little late, but I found myself using your words in this book as well as Sophie s. You shared with me from your own pain and enriched my knowledge.Thank you for your tender heart and spirit.
At last but not least, thank you to my readers. Over the years I ve traveled far and wide in my subjects and locations, and you ve
P RETENSE
Contents
About the Author
Acknowledgments
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Forty-Four
Forty-Five
Forty-Six
Forty-Seven
Forty-Eight
Forty-Nine
Fifty
Fifty-One
Fifty-Two
Epilogue
Books by Lori Wick
One
San Antonio, Texas October 1976
M arrell Bishop worked on dinner with studied concentration, her dark blond bangs falling over her forehead in wispy confusion. As she stirred the muffin batter, she hoped the new chicken dish in the oven would turn out better than the last one she attempted. She was not the greatest cook in the world, but her husband loved variety, and she loved to try new recipes.
She was checking the recipe once again when her oldest daughter entered the room. Marrell watched eight-year-old Mackenzie Rose Bishop sit at the small kitchen table and stare out the window, her expression unreadable.
What s up, Micki?
Nothing much.
I thought you were going to play Monopoly with Delancey.
She s in one of her moods.
She sounded neither angry nor put out, and suddenly Marrell didn t care if dinner was on time. She joined her daughter at the table and waited for her to look at her.
Are your feelings hurt?
No, but she won t talk to me, so I don t want to be in the room.
Do you want me to talk to her?
No.
Marrell watched Mackenzie s face very closely. At times it was the only way she could tell when her daughter was upset, but at the moment she didn t seem too wounded. Marrell didn t want to make excuses for her younger daughter, but she still heard herself saying, I wonder if Delancey might be upset about tonight.
What s tonight?
Her big karate match.
Oh. I forgot. What time?
Seven-thirty.
Mackenzie pulled a face. I ll miss my show.
Marrell looked compassionate. Sorry, Micki. Maybe they ll show it in reruns.
Marrell had no problem sensing that Mackenzie was upset about this. Although she said nothing, she was clearly not happy. And indeed, she was irritated, but not at her mother. She was rarely upset with her mother. Her sister, on the other hand, could be a great irritant. Mackenzie hated karate, and the fact that her sister s match was causing her to miss her favorite television program made it even less tolerable.
I forgot to ask you about your whale story when you came in, Mackenzie s mother said, cutting into her irate thoughts. How did your teacher like it?
She liked it a lot. Mackenzie was instantly diverted, her face lighting with a smile. She asked if she could make a copy of it for her files.
That is a compliment. Did you have a chance to read it to your dad?
No, but I brought it home with me.
Good. He should be here in about 40 minutes, so don t forget.
Okay. Can I help with dinner?
Sure. You can wash your hands and pour this batter into the muffin pan.
Mackenzie was happy to do just that and even happier when the aforementioned sister, Delancey Joy Bishop, came downstairs just minutes later. Delancey had not been asked to help with dinner. The satisfaction Mackenzie gained from giving her sister a superior smile was huge.

The first thing Lieutenant Colonel Paul Bishop did every night upon arriving home was kiss his wife. Over the years he had walked in to find company waiting for him, his daughters wanting his attention, phone calls from the base, and any number of other distractions, but he ignored all of these until he had taken Marrell in his arms and kissed her.
Paul Bishop had little time for church, but if anything could make him stop and thank God, it was his wife. It still amazed him that she had fallen in love with and married him. Marrell Bishop, Marrell Walker when he d met her, was drop-dead gorgeous. Tall and curvy, blue-eyed and blond, there wasn t a male head that didn t turn when she walked into a room. Paul wasn t exactly a troll, but he knew he wasn t in Marrell s class.
At any moment Paul could recall the way he felt when he first saw her. She had been clearing the counter in a mom-and-pop diner in Colorado Springs, Colorado, when he had been stationed at Fort Carson. Her shy smile as she had taken his order had done his heart a world of good. His voice had been especially soft when he d asked her out the first time, his eyes kind as he worked to hide his anxiety. Months later, after they had become quite serious, she admitted that the only reason she d gone out with him twice was because he hadn t tried anything on their first date.
And the third time? he remembered asking her.
By our third date, she answered, blushing, I was already in love with you.
With those words from 11 years ago now on his mind, he let himself into the apartment they called home. The smell of dinner assailed his senses, but with Marrell on his mind, he paid little heed. Finding her in the kitchen, he approached slowly, giving her a chance to take a pan from the oven. The moment she set it down, his arms went around her. Marrell had waited all day for his embrace and gladly returned it. The girls stood silently nearby, watching the familiar scene and knowing very well that no amount of noise or commotion would interrupt them.
Hi, Paul said at last, his eyes smiling into hers.
Hi yourself. Marrell s smile was content. How was your day?
Long and hot. I m glad it s over. Hey, girls! It was now time for them.
Hi, Dad. Delancey jumped toward him, her arms open wide. Mom s gonna braid my hair for tonight.
She is? You ll look beautiful. He bent low and hugged her tightly.
Mackenzie was close behind her sister, her arms going around her father s neck as he bent towa