1022 Evergreen Place Read online

  Praise for the Cedar Cove novels of #1 New York Times bestselling author DEBBIE MACOMBER

  “Macomber deftly combines sweet romance and a breath of suspense without losing the homespun charm that’s been delighting readers for years.”

  —RT Book Reviews on 92 Pacific Boulevard

  “Macomber does a wonderful job of bringing us up to date on favorite residents, and flawlessly introduces us to new characters. [She leaves] readers anxious for…a return visit to a wonderful town.”

  —A Romance Review on 8 Sandpiper Way

  “[This book’s] small-town charm is virtually guaranteed to please.”

  —Publishers Weekly on 74 Seaside Avenue

  “Readers new to Macomber’s considerable narrative charms will have no problem picking up the story, while loyal fans are in for a treat.”

  —Booklist on 6 Rainier Drive

  “Debbie Macomber is a skilled storyteller.”

  —Publishers Weekly on 50 Harbor Street

  “The books in Macomber’s contemporary Cedar Cove series are irresistibly delicious and addictive.”

  —Publishers Weekly on 44 Cranberry Point

  “Excellent characterization will keep readers anticipating the next visit to Cedar Cove.”

  —Booklist on 311 Pelican Court

  “Macomber’s endearing characters…find hope and love in the most unexpected places.”

  —Booklist on 204 Rosewood Lane

  “Macomber is known for her honest portrayals of ordinary women in small-town America, and this tale cements her position as an icon of the genre.”

  —Publishers Weekly on 16 Lighthouse Road

  September 2010

  Dear Friends,

  Well, here it is—the tenth book in the Cedar Cove series. Can you believe it? We’ve reached our ten-year anniversary!

  You might not have known that reader feedback prompted these stories. I’d written several shorter series in previous years. The idea of doing connected books started with the Orchard Valley series that was reissued this past summer. Then came the six Alaska books in the Midnight Sons series, followed by the six Heart of Texas stories. After the publication of those books, my reader mail was filled with requests to write more, to “please tell us about --------” (fill in the blank).

  I realized that my readers didn’t want the series to end. You wanted to know what happened to various characters, how certain situations were resolved, how people and places changed. Frankly, it’s always been difficult for me to write the last book in a project, and your comments made sense. The characters become as real to you as they are to me; I feel, as you do, that their lives extend beyond the last page of the book. So I thought…why not write more pages?

  The first ten Cedar Cove books have broken professional ground for me. They gave me my first #1 New York Times placement—all thanks to you. Then, because so many of you wanted to see Cedar Cove for yourselves, my hometown opened its doors for Cedar Cove Days in 2009.

  As I write this letter, I’m working on the eleventh book and I won’t be stopping until all the stories are told. Only heaven knows when that will be! (And if you missed 5-B Poppy Lane and A Cedar Cove Christmas, these two stories will appear in paperback in November in a volume titled Christmas in Cedar Cove.)

  Thank you for your interest and support. Now relax, grab a cup of something warm and enjoy visiting with all your friends in Cedar Cove.

  P.S. I love to hear from my readers.

  You can reach me in two ways: through my website (www.debbiemacomber.com) and by mail (P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366).

  Also by Debbie Macomber Also by Debbie Macomber

  Blossom Street Books Blossom Street Books

  The Shop on Blossom Street

  A Good Yarn

  Susannah’s Garden

  Back on Blossom Street

  Twenty Wishes

  Summer on Blossom Street

  Hannah’s List

  Cedar Cove Books

  16 Lighthouse Road

  204 Rosewood Lane

  311 Pelican Court

  44 Cranberry Point

  50 Harbor Street

  6 Rainier Drive

  74 Seaside Avenue

  8 Sandpiper Way

  92 Pacific Boulevard

  A Cedar Cove Christmas

  The Manning Family

  The Manning Sisters

  The Manning Brides

  The Manning Grooms

  Christmas Books

  A Gift to Last

  On a Snowy Night

  Home for the Holidays

  Glad Tidings

  Christmas Wishes

  Small Town Christmas

  When Christmas Comes

  There’s Something About Christmas

  Christmas Letters

  Where Angels Go

  The Perfect Christmas

  Angels at Christmas (Those Christmas Angels and Where Angels Go)

  Dakota Series

  Dakota Born

  Dakota Home

  Always Dakota

  Heart of Texas Series

  VOLUME 1 (Lonesome Cowboy and Texas Two-Step)

  VOLUME 2 (Caroline’s Child and Dr. Texas)

  VOLUME 3 (Nell’s Cowboy and Lone Star Baby)

  Promise, Texas

  Return to Promise

  Midnight Sons

  VOLUME 1 (Brides for Brothers and The Marriage Risk)

  VOLUME 2 (Daddy’s Little Helper and Because of the Baby)

  VOLUME 3 (Falling for Him, Ending in Marriage and Midnight Sons and Daughters)

  This Matter of Marriage

  Montana

  Thursdays at Eight

  Between Friends

  Changing Habits

  Married in Seattle (First Comes Marriage and Wanted: Perfect Partner)

  Right Next Door (Father’s Day and The Courtship of Carol Sommars)

  Wyoming Brides (Denim and Diamonds and The Wyoming Kid)

  Fairy Tale Weddings (Cindy and the Prince and Some Kind of Wonderful)

  The Man You’ll Marry (The First Man You Meet and The Man You’ll Marry)

  Orchard Valley Grooms (Valerie and Stephanie)

  Orchard Valley Brides (Norah and Lone Star Lovin’)

  Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Cookbook

  DEBBIE MACOMBER

  1022 EVERGREEN PLACE

  To Marcia Hestead, a woman of grace and charm who has blessed me with her friendship and many talents

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Some of the Residents of Cedar Cove, Washington

  Olivia Lockhart Griffin: Family Court judge in Cedar Cove. Mother of Justine and James. Married to Jack Griffin, editor of the Cedar Cove Chronicle. They live at 16 Lighthouse Road.

  Charlotte Jefferson Rhodes: Mother of Olivia and of Will Jefferson. Now married to widower Ben Rhodes, who has two sons, David and Steven, neither of whom lives in Cedar Cove.

  Justine (Lockhart) Gunderson: Daughter of Olivia. Mother of Leif. Married to Seth Gunderson. The Gundersons owned The Lighthouse restaurant, which was destroyed by fire. Justine has recently opened The Victorian Tea Room. The Gundersons live at 6 Rainier Drive.

  James Lockhart: Olivia’s son and Justine’s younger brother. Lives in San Diego with his family.

  Will Jefferson: Olivia’s brother, Charlotte’s son. Formerly of Atlanta. Divorced, retired and back in Cedar Cove, where he has bought the local gallery.

  Grace Sherman Harding: Olivia’s best friend. Librarian. Widow of Dan Sherman. Mother of Maryellen Bowman and Kelly Jordan. Married to Cliff Harding, a retired engineer who is now a horse breeder living in Olalla, near Cedar Cove. Grace’s previous address is 204 Rosewood Lane (now a rental property).

  Maryellen Bowman: Olde
st daughter of Grace and Dan Sherman. Mother of Katie and Drake. Married to Jon Bowman, photographer.

  Zachary Cox: Accountant, married to Rosie. Father of Allison and Eddie Cox. The family lives at 311 Pelican Court. Allison is attending university in Seattle, while her boyfriend, Anson Butler, has joined the military.

  Rachel Peyton (formerly Pendergast): Works at the Get Nailed salon. Recently married to widower Bruce Peyton, who has a daughter, Jolene.

  Bob and Peggy Beldon: Retired. They own the Thyme and Tide B & B at 44 Cranberry Point.

  Roy McAfee: Private investigator, retired from Seattle police force. Two adult children, Mack and Linnette. Married to Corrie. They live at 50 Harbor Street.

  Linnette McAfee: Daughter of Roy and Corrie. Lived in Cedar Cove and worked as a physician assistant in the new medical clinic. Now living in North Dakota.

  Mack McAfee: A fireman and paramedic, who moved to Cedar Cove.

  Gloria Ashton: Sheriff’s deputy in Cedar Cove. Natural child of Roy and Corrie McAfee.

  Troy Davis: Cedar Cove sheriff. Widower. Father of Megan.

  Faith Beckwith: High school girlfriend of Troy Davis, now a widow. Has moved back to Cedar Cove, where she is renting 204 Rosewood Lane. Recently engaged to Troy.

  Bobby Polgar and Teri Miller Polgar: He is an international chess champion; she was a hair stylist at Get Nailed. Their home is at 74 Seaside Avenue.

  Christie Levitt: Sister of Teri Polgar, living in Cedar Cove.

  James Wilbur: Bobby Polgar’s friend and driver. Has been romantically involved with Christie.

  Pastor Dave Flemming: Local Methodist minister. Married to Emily. They live at 8 Sandpiper Way and have two sons.

  Shirley Bliss: Widow and fabric artist, mother of Tannith (Tanni) Bliss.

  Miranda Sullivan: Friend of Shirley’s. Also a widow.

  Shaw Wilson: Friend of Anson Butler, Allison Cox and Tanni Bliss. Now at art school in California.

  Mary Jo Wyse: Young woman who had her baby, Noelle, in Cedar Cove on the previous Christmas Eve, assisted by Mack McAfee.

  Linc Wyse: Brother of Mary Jo, formerly of Seattle. Opens a car repair business in Cedar Cove. Married to Lori.

  Lori Wyse (formerly Bellamy): From a wealthy area family. Recently eloped with Linc Wyse.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  One

  Almost home. Grateful for the end of his shift, Mack McAfee turned the corner onto Evergreen Place and approached his house, the duplex at 1022. He felt an instant sense of peace when he saw Mary Jo Wyse working in the garden, taking advantage of the longer days and the perfection of a Pacific Northwest spring. At six, the sun was still bright and the sky had the clean-washed look of early May. Mack had to smile as he watched Mary Jo. The young single mother was his tenant, his friend—and the woman he’d fallen for. Hard. Lovely as ever, she wore jeans and a pink, long-sleeved top that clung in all the right places. Noelle was asleep in a stroller a few feet away.

  Mack had delivered the baby last Christmas—or assisted in her delivery; that was probably a better way to put it. He’d just joined the Cedar Cove Fire Department and as the most recent hire, he’d pulled duty on Christmas Eve. It’d been a quiet night until the call from the Harding ranch. A woman said she was about to give birth. Mack had taken a medical course and received his emergency medical technician certificate, but nothing he’d learned had prepared him for the exhilaration of being at a delivery. The moment little Noelle drew her first breath she’d completely won him over.

  Noelle and her mother had laid claim to Mack’s heart.

  Mack parked on his side of the driveway and climbed out of the truck. He was outwardly calm, but his thoughts were in chaos. He hadn’t seen either of them in two days.

  With his help, Mary Jo had planted a small garden, which she tended daily. “Hi,” she said, getting up from her knees. She brushed the dirt from her pant legs and glanced at him with a shy smile.

  “Hi,” he responded. Afraid that Mary Jo would be able to interpret his feelings, he studied the neat row of green seedlings that had begun to poke through the earth. Mary Jo was still suspicious of men, thanks to her experience with David Rhodes, although Mack was making a serious effort to gain her trust. “The garden’s starting to take shape, I see.”

  He crouched down and peeked at Noelle, who slept contentedly with one small clenched fist raised above her head. The baby mesmerized him. For that matter, so did Mary Jo….

  “I…missed seeing you the past couple of days,” she said in a low voice.

  That was encouraging. “You did?” He hated to sound too eager since he was treading carefully in this relationship. He’d made a big mistake with her and was almost afraid of what would happen next.

  “Well, yes. The last time we talked, well…you know.”

  Mack straightened and nervously shoved his hands in his back pockets.

  “You told me it wasn’t a good idea for us to continue with the engagement,” she said, although he didn’t need any reminder.

  “That seemed for the best,” he muttered. “But—”

  Before he could qualify his remark, she broke in. “And you’re right, it is for the best, especially if you don’t love me.”

  Mack couldn’t believe he’d actually said that. “No, I just thought—”

  “I understand,” she said, cutting him off again. “You proposed because you were trying to protect me.”

  Mack studied her through narrowed eyes. “You didn’t hear from David Rhodes again, did you?”

  “No.” She shook her head emphatically.

  Noelle’s biological father had threatened, more than once, to take the baby from Mary Jo, which Mack felt was nothing more than a bluff. But it had frightened her so badly that she’d panicked and decided to move back to Seattle. Back to her brothers, who’d look after her and the baby.

  Afraid he was about to lose them both, Mack had suggested marriage. Mary Jo had accepted, with the stipulation that they have a six-month engagement.

  That wasn’t the only stipulation. She’d insisted there be no physical contact. That was when Mack had realized his mistake. Mary Jo’s sole reason for moving to Cedar Cove had been to escape her domineering older brothers. In offering to marry her, Mack was doing exactly what they’d done. His motive had been to keep a close watch over her, to protect her. Because he loved her, yes, but without recognizing it, he’d assumed the role her brothers had played in her life. No wonder Mary Jo had stalled their relationship.

  A few days after they became engaged, he noticed the shift in her attitude. No longer did she treat him as her friend. No longer could they tease and joke and affectionately kiss. He’d taken control of a situation in her life, squelching Mary Jo’s first tentative efforts toward independence. She’d said yes to his proposal, but it wasn’t because she loved him.

  A month pass
ed before Mack figured out what was wrong and why he had to break off the engagement. In his eagerness to be with her, to marry her, he’d nearly ruined everything.

  At least neither of them had mentioned the engagement to their families. For his part Mack knew his parents would’ve seen through his reasons immediately. They would’ve said it was too soon, pointing out that Mack and Mary Jo didn’t know each other well enough to make that kind of commitment.

  They would’ve been right.

  Mack had acted on impulse, his desire to protect her overcoming his better judgment. He needed to bide his time and let the relationship progress naturally.

  One problem was his lack of finesse with women. Not that he was totally naive, but none of his relationships prior to meeting Mary Jo had been serious or long-lasting.

  He did have a sister—two sisters, actually. Only he hadn’t known about the second one until a few years ago. He’d always been close to Linnette and had now begun to develop a friendship with Gloria.

  Linnette had often advised him on relationships, but she’d moved to some Podunk town in North Dakota. They managed regular phone conversations; despite that, Mack hadn’t been smart enough to seek her opinion before he proposed to Mary Jo.

  In trying to undo his mistake, Mack had committed another one. He’d broken off the engagement by telling Mary Jo that although he was fond of her, his real love was for Noelle.

  It’d seemed like a reasonable approach at the time. He’d hoped to back out of the engagement and save face as he did—let her save face, too. Instead, he’d further complicated an already complex relationship. If there’d been a worse way to handle the situation, he couldn’t imagine it.