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Olivia Lockhart
Cedar Cove, Washington
Dear Reader,
If you've been to Cedar Cove before, you've probably met my friend Grace Sherman. You can usually find her at home—she lives at 204 Rosewood Lane—or at the public library, where she works. Like me, she grew up in this town and she's raised two daughters here. But did you hear that about six months ago, her husband disappeared? Just disappeared. Where's Dan? Why did he go? Who's he with? Will Grace ever find out?
I hope that all of us, her family and friends, are bringing her comfort during this difficult time. Comfort and a sense of shelter. I'm continually reminded that life can and does go on. For instance, everyone's been discussing weddings and babies lately. Justine, my daughter, rather impulsively got married a little while ago. Grace's daughter Kelly recently had a baby. Unfortunately, she refuses to accept that Dan might not return to see his first grandchild. Grace's older daughter, Maryellen, is more realistic. Grace thinks she's seeing a new man but for some reason won't say who it is.
Then there's Jack Griffin, our local newspaper editor, the man I've been seeing. And well, I have lots to tell you. Come on over and we'll talk!
Olivia
Debbie Macomber, with more than 100 million copies of her books sold worldwide, is one of today's most popular authors. The #1 New York Times bestselling author is best known for her ability to create compelling characters and bring their stories to life in her books. Debbie is a regular resident on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times (70 times and counting), USA TODAY (currently 67 times) and Publishers Weekly (47 times). Visit her at www.DebbieMacomber.com.
The years went on and the rejection letters piled up. Her family was living on a shoestring budget, and Debbie was beginning to think that her dreams of being a novelist might never be fulfilled. She began writing for magazines to earn some extra money, and she eventually saved up enough to attend a romance writer's conference with three hundred other aspiring novelists. The organizers of the conference picked ten manuscripts to review in a group critique session. Debbie was thrilled to learn that her manuscript would be one of the novels discussed.
Her excitement quickly faded when an editor from Harlequin tore her manuscript to pieces in front of the crowded room, evoking peals of laughter from the assembled writers. Afterwards, Macomber approached the editor and asked her what she could do to improve her novel. "Throw it away," the editor suggested.
Many writers would have given up right then and there, but not Macomber. The deeply religious Macomber took a lesson from Job and gathered strength from adversity. She returned home and mailed one last manuscript to Silhouette, a publisher of romance novels. "It cost $10 to mail it off," Macomber told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2000. "My husband was out of work at this time, in Alaska, trying to find a job. The children and I were living on his $250-a-week unemployment, and I can't tell you what $10 was to us at that time."
It turned out to be the best $10 Macomber ever spent. In 1984, Silhouette published her novel, Heartsong. (Incidentally, although Heartsong was Macomber's first sale, she actually published another book, Starlight, before Heartsong went to print.) Heartsong went on to become the first romance novel to ever be reviewed in Publishers Weekly, and Macomber was finally on her way.
Today, Macomber is one of the most widely read authors in America. A regular on the New York Times bestseller charts, she is best known for her Cedar Cove novels, a heartwarming story sequence set in a small town in Washington state, and for her Knitting Books series, featuring a group of women who patronize a Seattle yarn store. In addition, her backlist of early romances, including several contemporary Westerns, has been reissued with great success.
Macomber has made a successful transition from conventional romance to the somewhat more flexible genre known as "women's fiction." "I was at a point in my life where I found it difficult to identify with a 25-year-old heroine," Macomber said in an interview with ContemporaryRomanceWriters.com. "I found that I wanted to write more about the friendships women share with each other." To judge from her avid, ever-increasing fan base, Debbie's readers heartily approve.
"I'm dyslexic, although they didn't have a word for it when I was in grade school. The teachers said I had 'word blindness.' I've always been a creative speller and never achieved good grades in school. I graduated from high school but didn't have the opportunity to attend college, so I did what young women my age did at the time -- I married. I was a teenager, and Wayne and I (now married nearly 37 years) had four children in five years."
"I'm a yarnaholic. That means I have more yarn stashed away than any one person could possibly use in three or four lifetimes. There's something inspiring about yarn that makes me feel I could never have enough. Often I'll go into my yarn room (yes, room!) and just hold skeins of yarn and dream about projects. It's a comforting thing to do."
"My office walls are covered with autographs of famous writers -- it's what my children call my ‘dead author wall.' I have signatures from Mark Twain, Earnest Hemingway, Jack London, Harriett Beecher Stowe, Pearl Buck, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to name a few."
"I'm morning person, and rip into the day with a half-mile swim (FYI: a half mile is a whole lot farther in the water than it is on land) at the local pool before I head into the office, arriving before eight. It takes me until nine or ten to read through all of the guest book entries from my web site and the mail before I go upstairs to the turret where I do my writing. Yes, I write in a turret -- is that romantic, or what? I started blogging last September and really enjoy sharing bits and pieces of my life with my readers. Once I'm home for the day, I cook dinner, trying out new recipes. Along with cooking, I also enjoy eating, especially when the meal is accompanied by a glass of good wine. Wayne and I take particular pleasure in sampling eastern Washington State wines (since we were both born and raised in that part of the state).
Grace Sherman stared down at the legal form that would start the divorce proceedings. She sat in the attorney's office with Maryellen, her oldest daughter, who'd come with her to offer support. Grace reminded herself that this should be straightforward, that her decision was made. She was ready to end her marriage, ready to piece together her shattered life. To begin again But her hand shook as she picked up the pen.
The inescapable fact was that she didn't want this—but Dan hadn't left her with any other option.
Five months ago, in April, her husband of almost thirty-six years had disappeared. Vanished without a trace. One day everything was perfectly normal, and the next he was gone. Apparently by choice and without a word of explanation. Even now, Grace had difficulty believing that the man she'd lived with, the man she'd loved and with whom she'd had two daughters, could do anything as cruel as this.
If Dan had fallen out of love with her, she could accept that. She would've found enough pride, enough generosity, to release him without bitterness. If he was that miserable in their marriage, she would've gladly set him free to find happiness with someone else. What she couldn't forgive was the misery he'd heaped on their family's shoulders, what he'd done to their daughters. Especially Kelly.
Dan had disappeared shortly after Kelly and Paul had announced that after years of trying, they were finally, excitedly, pregnant. Dan had been thrilled, and Grace, too. This baby was going to be their first grandchild. They'd waited so long.
Kelly had always been close to her father and his disappearance at this critical time in her life had devastated her. She'd pleaded with Grace to postpone the divorce proceedings, convinced that her father would return before Tyler was born. When Dan did return, he'd have a logical reason and would explain everything to their satisfaction.
He hadn't come back, though, and there'd been no further information. Nothing but doubts, questions and a churning, deepening anger that intensified in the endless weeks that followed.
When Grace couldn't stand not knowing any longer, she'd hired Roy McAfee, a private detective and former policeman she trusted. Roy had done an extensive search, certain that Dan had left a paper trail, and he'd been right. What Roy had uncovered was a complete shock to Grace. A year earlier, Dan had purchased a travel trailer, paying cash for it. Grace had no idea where he'd gotten that kind of money, nor did she know anything about the trailer. He'd never mentioned it, nor had she seen it. To this day she had no idea where he'd kept it all those months. Or where it was now.
Given the mounting evidence, she had her suspicions.
Grace believed that Dan had used the travel trailer to sneak away with another woman. There'd been one sighting of him and it had come late in May. It almost felt as if her husband had orchestrated this brief reappearance, as if he was taunting her, challenging her to find him. That day had been a low point for Grace.
A coworker of Dan's had spotted him at the marina and Maryellen had hurried to the library to fetch her. But by the time Grace reached the marina, Dan was gone. A woman had pulled up to the curb and Dan had climbed into the vehicle and driven away, never to be seen or heard from again.
In retrospect, she'd come to believe that Dan was providing her with the answers she so desperately needed. She could think of no other reason he would mysteriously arrive at the busiest place in town, where he was most likely to be seen—and recognized. The library where she worked was less than two blocks away. Clearly, her husband lacked the courage to tell her there was someone else. Instead he'd chosen another, crueler way to inform her; he'd humiliated her in front of the entire community. Grace knew without being told that everyone in Cedar Cove pitied her.
That sighting had settled the matter in Grace's mind. Whatever love she still felt for Dan died that afternoon. Until then, she hadn't wanted to believe there was someone else. Even when the VISA bill showed up with a hefty charge from a local jeweler, Grace had refused to accept that her husband was involved with another woman. Dan just wasn't the kind of man who would be unfaithful to her. She'd trusted him. Not anymore.
"Are you okay, Mom?" Maryellen asked, touching her arm.
Grace's hand tightened around the pen. "Fine," she snapped, instantly regretting her tone. She hadn't meant to sound so sharp.
Her daughter looked away. Grace focused on the divorce papers, hesitated a moment longer and then with haste signed her name.
"I'll see that this is filed immediately," Mark Spellman said.
Grace relaxed, leaning back in her chair. This was all there was to it? You could end a thirty-five-year marriage simply by signing your name? "That's it?"
"Yes. Since you haven't heard from Daniel in five months, I don't foresee any legal complications. The divorce should be final in a few weeks."
Almost four decades tossed out the window like so much garbage. The good years, the bad years, the lean ones, the years they'd scrimped and saved. Like all couples, they'd had their share of problems, but despite everything they'd held their marriage together. Until now, until this—
"Mom?" Maryellen whispered.
Grace nodded abruptly, surprised at the emotion that choked her. She'd shed all the tears she intended to. In the months since Dan's disappearance, Grace had deeply grieved the loss of her marriage and the man she thought she knew. The truth of it was, she no longer had a choice; divorce had become inevitable. It was essential that she protect her financial interests. According to the attorney, she couldn't afford the luxury of doing nothing.
Her legal situation was one thing, and she'd dealt with that, but the emotional impact had left her badly shaken. Despite her resolve, the grief hadn't diminished. And the humiliation of what Dan had done was with her constantly. Everyone in town was aware of her circumstances and the fact that her husband had walked out on her.
Slowly, Grace set the pen aside.
"I'll wait to hear from you, then," she said to her attorney, rising out of the chair. Maryellen stood with her.
The attorney, a young man closer to Maryellen's age than her own, escorted them to the office door. He began to say something, then merely looked down and murmured a brief goodbye.
Outside his small home office, the sky had turned a depressing leaden gray. Grace felt a burden of sadness settle over her; she'd known this appointment wasn't going to be easy, but she hadn't expected it to exact such a toll on her self-confidence.
Maryellen glanced at her watch. "I need to get back to the gallery."
"I know," Grace said. Her daughter had offered to go to this appointment with her for moral support. Although she was grateful, Grace had thought it unnecessary. But Maryellen was right.
Her daughter was divorced, too. Maryellen had married young and unwisely, and the marriage had ended in less than a year. The experience had so biased her against men, she'd steered away from relationships ever since. Grace had tried to assure her that she'd meet a wonderful man someday, a man waiting for someone exactly like her. Maryellen had considered that naive and refused to listen and now Grace understood why. Divorce hurt, and it was the kind of vicious pain that reached deep inside a person. Grace felt off balance and guilty, as though she had somehow failed. As though it was all her fault. Maryellen knew what it was like because she'd experienced these emotions herself when she was much younger and without the wisdom or perspective maturity brings.
"Will you be all right?" Maryellen asked, obviously reluctant to leave.
"Of course," Grace said, forcing a smile. She ought to be feeling a measure of relief, after all. She'd finally taken action. She'd given Dan every opportunity, even issued a series of mental ultimatums and deadlines. He would come back when Kelly's baby was born. By the Fourth of July. By their wedding anniversary. First one, then another, until she faced the truth. He wasn't coming back. If she hadn't heard anything from him by now, she shouldn't expect that she ever would. Dan had no intention of being found.
"Are you going back to work?" Maryellen asked.
"No," she said, refusing to allow herself to succumb to self-pity. "I'm going to lunch."
"Lunch? It's after four. You didn't eat earlier?"
"No." Grace didn't add that her appetite had been nonexistent for days as the appointment with the attorney grew closer. Then, because she knew her daughter was worried, she added emphatically, "I am going to be all right, Maryellen."
Maryellen gazed down the steep hill toward the waterfront, where boats gently bobbed in the protected waters of the cove. Vehicles cruised down Harbor Street, so close together they looked like one continuous line. The Bremerton shipyard workers were out, and traffic filled the roads as husbands and fathers hurried home to their families. The same way Dan once had.
"I'm so furious with Dad I don't know what I'd do if I ever saw him again," Maryellen said between gritted teeth.
Grace knew, though. She was convinced that Maryellen would be grateful, that she wouldn't care what he'd done as long as he came home. And Kelly, their youngest, would shout with joy and tell them all how wrong they'd been. She'd run to her father with open arms, eagerly awaiting the excuse that would explain everything.
"I'm fine," Grace insisted. "Really." Still Maryellen hesitated. "I hate to leave you"
"I'll get over this." Although that was hardly the way she felt. But if Grace had learned anything in life, it was the importance of balance. For each loss, there were compensations, and she reminded herself to keep the good things firmly in sight. "I have so much to be grateful for. You and Kelly, and now a grandson. I'm so sorry it had to end this way with your father and me, but I'm going to come back stronger than ever." Even as she said the words, Grace knew they were true. The sense of loss was profound, but balance would return to her life and so would joy.
It was Justine Gunderson's lunch break, and all she wanted to do was run home and check the mail. She hadn't heard from Seth in nearly a week. All right, five days, but each one of those days felt like a year. Her husband of little more than a month was in Alaska, fishing the crab-rich waters of the Bering Sea. Seth had warned her when she drove him to the airport that he'd be working sixteen-hour days. He'd assured her that he was crazy in love with her and would be back before she had time to miss him.
Seth had been wrong. Justine was miserable. They'd married, as the old western hit said, "in a fever," unable to delay the wedding even one minute once they'd made the decision. Without telling either set of parents, they'd raced to Reno, gotten the license, found a preacher and afterward headed straight for a hotel room.
They were young and healthy and very much in love. Justine had known Seth nearly her entire life. He'd been her twin brother's best friend—until Jordan drowned at age thirteen. Justine and Seth had been in the same high-school graduating class. In the ten years that followed, he'd lived in Cedar Cove but they hadn't been in contact until recently, when they'd both reluctantly joined the committee planning their class reunion.
At the time, Justine had been dating Warren Saget, a local developer. Warren was quite a few years older than Justine; in fact, he was just a little younger than her own father. Warren liked having a beautiful woman on his arm and Justine suited him perfectly. It helped that she was willing to keep his little secret—while he might be successful in the boardroom, his powers didn't extend to the bedroom. When they were together, she often spent the night at his plush hillside house overlooking the cove, but that was more for show than anything. She had her own bedroom in Warren's home. Justine knew very well what people thought, but she'd never much cared.
However, her mother did. Olivia Lockhart shared the general assumptions about her arrangement with Warren and had plenty of opinions on the matter. Justine didn't enlighten her because it was none of Olivia's business. This disagreement between them had put a strain on the mother-daughter relationship. Her grandmother hadn't been particularly pleased, either, but Charlotte wasn't nearly as open in her disapproval. No doubt hoping to distract her from Warren, her mother had encouraged Justine to date Seth—although even Olivia had been shocked when Justine phoned to tell her she'd impulsively married him.
The marriage was practically as big a surprise to Justine as it was to her family. After a spat having to do with Warren, Seth had walked away from her. Justine couldn't let it end like that, not with Seth, and she'd gone to him, hoping to make amends. To say they'd settled their differences was something of an understatement.
After the wedding, they'd only had that one weekend before Seth had to return to Alaska. In the weeks since, she'd heard from him intermittently, but he couldn't call—or receive calls—while he was at sea, so their communications were few and far between.
Justine glanced at the time and tried to decide whether she should drive home and check the mail or not. If there was no letter, she'd feel depressed for the rest of the afternoon. On the other hand, if Seth did happen to send her a message, she'd be walking on clouds for days afterward. She needed a letter, a phone call, anything that would remind her she'd made the right choice in marrying him. Getting married was the only impulsive thing she'd ever done in all her twenty-eight years. She liked her life orderly and precise. The need for control had always ruled her choices—until she fell in love with Seth.
This commitment to order was one reason she fit in so well at First National Bank, rising quickly to the position of manager. Numbers made sense; they added up neatly; they were unambiguous. To the best of her ability, that was the way Justine lived her life—with strong convictions and with exactness, leaving little room for frivolity and impulse.
Out of habit, she looked up when the bank's double glass doors swung open and watched as Warren Saget walked in, bold as could be. He moved directly toward her desk, his manner confident. Justine hadn't seen him since her impromptu wedding. Unfortunately they hadn't parted on the best of terms. Warren had been angry when he learned she'd married Seth and had made some ugly, spiteful remarks. Frankly Justine wasn't up for a second confrontation.
marianne68
Posted Wed Sep 07 00:00:00 EDT 2011
I Also Recommend:
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great plot, good writing and a story that will make you want to read more.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Cedar Cove sreies goes from being a family to divorce - romance- and back to family it has it all. The frenidship that is in these book is like the naborhood that you live in eveyday.
I like the audio books I listen to them in my car as I drive it is much better then the radio.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RRPNC
Posted Mon Dec 30 00:00:00 EST 2013
Great book and series. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Recommend Very Highly!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Dec 30 00:00:00 EST 2013
Cedar Cove series is highly addicting I can't wait to read the next book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sat Nov 23 00:00:00 EST 2013
Have enjoyed reading all of the Cedar Cove books!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Aug 22 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I really enjoy Debbie Macomber's books. I like getting to know the characters. It's best to start with the first book of the series. Cedar Cove is a place I would like to live.
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Posted Sat Aug 17 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I enjoyedthe book but felt not satisfied at the end . The ending left me wanting more. I definitely wanted to read the next book inthe series because the story was not finished.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Aug 02 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I loved this book!
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Posted Sat Jul 27 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I'm throughly enjoying this series. Looking forward to the next e-book. LA-TXN
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I am hooked on this series! Debbie really knows how to make you loose sleep, I can't put her books down!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RonnaL
Posted Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This is book two in Debbie Macomber's Cedar Grove series that is being made into a Hallmark TV series beginning on June 1, with a full length movie. This small town in Washington was first introduced in "16 Lighthouse Road" , where, Olivia, a family court judge lives. "204 Rosewood Lane" is the home of Olivia's best friend, Grace.
In this book, Grace has finally decided to divorce her husband, who just walked out of their lives a year ago. No one knows where her husband is, or why he just walked out on his whole family. There are numerous "neighbors" and friends , who all interact with each other as friends, relatives, and townspeople share their lives with the reader in this series. We learn more about Olivia and Grace, plus numerous other folks. Births, deaths, squabbles, and interpersonal relationships definitely keep the reader involved in these character'l lives. Like getting a good friend's letter from home, I wanted to read and read to see how people coped, and found their joys and blessings in Cedar Grove.
LDP23
Posted Fri Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2013
Love The Cedar Cove Series!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sun Oct 14 00:00:00 EDT 2012
2nd book in the series does not disappoint. If you are looking for a good series with great characters, welcome to Cedar Cove.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.songbirdsue
Posted Mon Jun 04 00:00:00 EDT 2012
Too depressing and focusing on the negative. I like to feel some warmth and togetherness in my stories. I usually like Debbie Macomber, but not this series.
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Posted Sat Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2012
This is an awsome series because it is interesting book to read even though i never read it but o
I know i will enjoy it so recommend this book to anyone who likes Debbie Mcomber
Anonymous
Posted Mon Dec 19 00:00:00 EST 2011
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Oct 28 00:00:00 EDT 2011
Great book
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I just discovered the Cedar Cove series, and was hooked from the first book. Ms Macomber NEVER disappoints.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bookacholic
Posted Sun Oct 23 00:00:00 EDT 2011
This is series number 2 in the Cedar Cove series. I am now on book number 7. I love all the characters, and can't wait to finish one book so that I can start another. You get to know these people as if they were your best of friends. Books have a little mystery, romance, and just downright wholesomeness. You turn a page, and you can't really anticipate what will happen next. If you start this series, you will not be dissapointed.
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Posted Fri Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2011
Dan remindes me of Rosanne Barb's husband...Love the twist and turns the story takes.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Olivia Lockhart
Cedar Cove, Washington
Dear Reader,
If you've been to Cedar Cove before, you've probably met my friend Grace Sherman. You can usually find her at home?she lives at 204 Rosewood Lane?or at the public library, where she works. Like me, she grew up in this town and she's raised two daughters here. But did you hear that about six months ago, her husband ...