Some of the Residents ofCedar 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: Justine’s husband. Co-owner, with Justine, of The Lighthouse restaurant.

      James Lockhart: Olivia’s son and Justine’s younger brother. In the navy. Lives in San Diego with wife, Selina, and daughter, Isabella.

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

      Will Jefferson: Olivia’s brother, Charlotte’s son. Married and lives in Atlanta.

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

      Dan Sherman: Grace’s dead husband.

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

      Kelly Jordan: Maryellen’s 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 & Breakfast at 44 Cranberry Point. Have two adult children.

      Roy McAfee: Private detective, retired from Seattle police force. Two adult children. The McAfees live at 5 Harbor Street.

      Corrie McAfee: Roy’s wife and office manager.

      Troy Davis: Cedar Cove sheriff.

      Pastor Flemming: Local Methodist minister.

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

       Chapter One

      Peggy 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 Cove-comfortably 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. She’d 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 Bob’s reliance on alcohol. But then, to her eternal gratitude, he’d discovered Alcoholics Anonymous; it had saved their marriage and quite possibly Bob’s 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 she’d married. She didn’t 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, they’d 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 hadn’t known how much business to expect, how many guests would be attracted to the Thyme and Tide B and B, as they’d called it. She’d hoped, of course, that they’d make enough to supplement their retirement income-and they had. She was proud of the success they’d achieved. Their traditional home, warm hospitality and her cooking had brought them steady customers and a growing