Cedar Cove
MIRA
January 2010
On Sale: January 1, 2010
Featuring: Grace Sherman
400 pages ISBN: 0778328619 EAN: 9780778328612 Paperback (reprint) Add to Wish List
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#nbsp;โ 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 co-worker of Dan's had spotted him at the marina and
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#nbsp;โ 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#nbsp;โ
"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.
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