1105 Yakima Street

September 2011

Dear Friends,

Well, here it is:
1105 Yakima Street,
book eleven of the Cedar Cove series. Each of these books is special to me in one way or another. I choose the name Yakima Street because I was born in the town of Yakima, Washington, and the first seventeen years of my life were spent in this central Washington community. To me, it will always represent home. It’s where my roots are, my parents are buried and where several of my cousins still live.

This will be the second-last book in the series, with the final one coming out next month. In October, MIRA Books will release
1225 Christmas Tree Lane,
which will be in a hardcover “gift-size” format. In that final story, I’ll revisit every Cedar Cove family and tie up all the loose ends.

The past eleven years—during which I wrote this series—have been some of the best of my career. You probably know that I based Cedar Cove on my hometown of Port Orchard, Washington, where Wayne and I have lived since 1986. We raised our children there and it’s where we continue to make our home. To my great delight, the people of Port Orchard embraced the books and in 2009 held a five-day event called Cedar Cove Days. It’s an occasion I’ll always treasure, since I was able to meet so many of my wonderful readers.

These novels have allowed me to create a universe that’s very much like mine—and yet Cedar Cove also became a place that took on its own reality. As well, the Cedar Cove books led directly to
Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Cookbook,
compiled by Charlotte Jefferson Rhodes, which launched my first foray into the fascinating world of cookbooks. I always knew that collecting—and trying—all those recipes would one day pay off!

(October will also bring you
Debbie Macomber’s Christmas Cookbook.
I promise it’ll be every bit as good as the Cedar Cove cookbook.)

Saying goodbye to these characters, the people of Cedar Cove, is difficult for me, but it’s been a pleasure and a privilege to share the town with you, my readers.

I know you’ll enjoy Rachel and Bruce’s story (and Jolene’s), along with those of all your other Cedar Cove friends. They’re waiting for you to turn the pages.

As always, I’d be delighted to hear from you. I can be reached at www.DebbieMacomber.com or P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366.

Sincerely,

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.

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 then 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:
Oldest 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. Married to widower
Bruce Peyton,
who has a daughter,
Jolene.
Recently separated. The Peytons live at 1105 Yakima Street.

Nate Olsen:
Chief Petty Officer in the Navy. Recently returned to the area. Previously involved with Rachel.

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 married to Pete Mason and living in North Dakota.

Mack McAfee:
A fireman and paramedic, who moved to Cedar Cove and subsequently married
Mary Jo Wyse.
They have a daughter, Noelle, and live at 1022 Evergreen Place.

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

Dr. Chad Timmons:
Previously worked at the Cedar Cove medical clinic. Has had an on-again, off-again relationship with Gloria.

Troy Davis:
Cedar Cove sheriff. Widower. Father of
Megan.
Now married to
Faith Beckwith,
his high school girlfriend. Faith had moved back to Cedar Cove as a widow and rented 204 Rosewood Lane.

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

Christie Levitt:
Sister of Teri Polgar, living in Cedar Cove. Now married to
James Wilbur,
Bobby Polgar’s friend and driver.

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. Romantically involved with artist
Larry Knight.

Miranda Sullivan:
Friend of Shirley’s. Also a widow. Now working as an assistant to Will Jefferson in his gallery.

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

Linc Wyse:
Brother of Mary Jo (Wyse) McAfee. Formerly of Seattle. Opened a car-repair business in Cedar Cove. Married to
Lori.

Lori Wyse
(formerly Bellamy): From a wealthy area family.

Leonard and Kate Bellamy:
Lori’s parents, who live in Bremerton.

Beth Morehouse:
Dog trainer and Christmas tree farm owner. Recently moved to Cedar Cove. Divorced and mother of two college-age daughters. Beth lives at 1225 Christmas Tree Lane.

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

Chapter Thirty-Seven