Debbie Macomber - 44 Cranberry Point

Some of the Residents of Cedar Cove, Washington

Olivia Lockhart Griffin: Divorced from Stan Lockhart. Now married to Jack Griffin. Family court judge in Cedar Cove. Mother of Justine and James. Lives at 16 Lighthouse Road.

Charlotte Jefferson: Mother of Olivia, widow, lifelong resident of Cedar Cove.

Justine (Lockhart) Gunderson: Daughter of Olivia, married to Seth, mother of Leif.

Seth Gunderson: Justines husband. Co-owner, with Justine, of The Lighthouse Restaurant.

James Lockhart: Olivias son and Justines younger brother. In the navy. Lives in San Diego with wife, Selina, and daughter, Isabella.

Stanley Lockhart: Olivias ex-husband and father of James and Justine. Now lives in Seattle and divorced from his second wife.

Will Jefferson: Olivias brother, Charlottes son. Married and lives in Atlanta.

Grace Sherman: Olivias best friend. Librarian. Widow. Mother of Maryellen and Kelly. Lives at 204 Rosewood Lane.

Dan Sherman: Graces dead husband.

Maryellen Sherman: Oldest daughter of Grace and Dan. Mother of Katie.

Kelly Jordan: Maryellens sister, married to Paul, mother of Tyler.

Jon Bowman: Photographer, chef and father of Katie. Engaged to Maryellen.

Jack Griffin: Newspaper reporter and editor of The Cedar Cove Chronicle. Recovering alcoholic, married to Olivia Lockhart. Father of Eric, who lives in Nevada with his wife, Shelly, and their twin boys.

Zachary Cox: Accountant, remarried to Rosie. Father of Allison and Eddie Cox. Lives at 311 Pelican Court.

Cliff Harding: Retired engineer and now horse breeder living near Cedar Cove. Divorced father of Lisa, who lives in Maryland. He has an on-and-off relationship with Grace Sherman.

Cecilia Randall: Navy wife, living near Cedar Cove. Accountant. Married to Ian Randall, submariner. Lost a baby, Allison.

Bob and Peggy Beldon: Retired. Own the Thyme and Tide Bed and Breakfast at 44 Cranberry Point. Have two adult children.

Roy McAfee: Private detective, retired from Seattle police force. Two adult children, Linnette and Mack. The McAfees live at 50 Harbor Street.

Corrie McAfee: Roys wife and office manager.

Troy Davis: Cedar Cove sheriff.

Pastor Dave Flemming: Local Methodist minister.

Ben Rhodes: Retired naval officer. Member of the Senior Center. Involved with Charlotte Jefferson.

P eggy Beldon walked into her newly planted garden, taking real pleasure in the sights and smells that surrounded her. This was her private place, her one true source of serenity. The fresh briny scent of the water off Puget Sound drifted toward her as she watched the Washington State ferry glide from Bremerton toward Seattle on its sixty-minute journey. This was a typical May afternoon in Cedar Covecomfortably warm with just a hint of a breeze.

Peggy uncoiled the garden hose and moved carefully between the rows of leaf lettuce, sweet peas and pole beans. She had a strong practical streak, expressed in her vegetable and herb gardens; she satisfied her craving for beauty with the flower gardens in front. Looking back at the house that always had been her dream, Peggy smiled. Shed grown up in Cedar Cove, graduated from the local high school and married Bob Beldon on his return from Vietnam. The early years had been difficult because of Bobs reliance on alcohol. But then, to her eternal gratitude, hed discovered Alcoholics Anonymous; it had saved their marriage and quite possibly Bobs life. Until AA, Bob had spent most nights drinking, by himself or with friends. When he drank, he became a different person, no longer the man shed married. She didnt like to think about that time. Thankfully, her husband had remained sober for twenty-one years.

Walking between the rows, Peggy gently watered the seedlings. Several years earlier, Bob had accepted early retirement and with the severance package, theyd purchased the house on Cranberry Point. Peggy had loved it for as long as she could remember. Situated on a point of land overlooking Sinclair Inlet, the two-story structure, built in the late 1930s, had seemed like a mansion to her. Over the years, it had changed owners a number of times and had started to deteriorate, since no one had cared enough to provide the maintenance it needed. By straining their finances, Bob and Peggy had managed to buy it for a price far below its current market value.

Her husband was a talented handyman and within a few months they were able to hang out a sign for their Bed and Breakfast. Peggy hadnt known how much business to expect, how many guests would be attracted to the Thyme and Tide B and B, as theyd called it. Shed hoped, of course, that theyd make enough to supplement their retirement incomeand they had. She was proud of the success theyd achieved. Their traditional home, warm hospitality and her cooking had brought them steady customers and a growing reputation. Theyd even been reviewed in a national magazine, which had reserved its highest praise for the food, especially her baking. The reviewer had spent two whole sentences describing her blueberry muffins and homemade fruit cobbler. She had twenty blueberry bushes and eight raspberry canes, and she pampered them lovingly. Each summer she was rewarded with an ample supply for her guests and her family. Life had seemed about as perfect as it could get.