Hell-bent to make it on her own, and feeling like she no longer belonged in Astatula, Beth Sorenson parked her powder-blue Spyder Sportsrod in front of the Watson Erdelmann Tower. Located at 121 East Beacon Street, in Downtown Oklahoma City, the skyscraper was the home of her employer the Jacobson Mortgage Corporation. It was there Beth held the position of Senior Credit Manager. This was not the way Beth envisioned her life turning out.

For the last five and a half years, Beth had been engaged to Sheriff Brock Daniels. Astatula was to be their forever home. But, not any more. Most of their betrothal occurred before Cody Schroder arrived on the scene. However, Beth did not blame Cody for what happened. Not really.

Beth climbed out of her Sportster. She snatched her black briefcase off the backseat pausing for a moment to reflect, "You only have yourself to blame for that one, Kiddo. After all, you're the one who brought Cody to Astatula in the first place. Why couldn't you leave not well enough alone? Now look where you are!"

And, then she pondered, "You're the one who ran. You weren't thrown out."

Beth clearly remembered the day she first became aware of the little munchkin's plight. The Palo Pinto Ledger headlines screamed the news in black and white loud enough for the whole world to hear: "SEVERELY ABUSED BOY NOW ORPHANED!"

The more Beth uncovered the truth about the boy the more her tender heart cried out and it became her mission to rescue him. Beth also recalled the very moment she stared Brock Daniels in the face and declared, "If you don't adopt him, Brock, I will! One way or another we are going to be Cody's parents."

Beth still kept the clipped article, along with the four others the newspaper had run about Cody's plight inside a plastic sleeve in the back of a photo album. For her they were treasures.

Here it was, two years later, and Brock Daniels still had not married her. Beth never understood why his feet remained so frigid on the subject every time she brought it up to him? Perhaps, in his eyes, those sea-green pools that could melt her with one passing glance, somehow she did not measure up to his desires.

As hard as it was for her to do, three months ago Beth moved on. She left Astatula, Texas, Cody Schroder, and Brock Daniels behind as far distant memories in her fading taillights. There had to be more waiting for her somewhere out there around the next bend. She would keep looking until she found what her heart craved.

What that was Beth did not know. Not when deep down inside her, Brock Daniels and Cody Schroder were all she really ever wanted. If only?

There were those paralyzing lingering doubts again. How those ghosts haunted her! However, this time Beth wouldn't allow herself to feel that way. She was strong enough to move on to greener pastures.

Clicking the lock button on her car's fob, Beth knew she could not dwell in the past. Particularly this morning when she had the closing on the McNamara Expository Building in front of her. Rapidly, she was making a name for herself in Oklahoma.

Might have beens, and should haves, were nots. Beth scurried inside the office building where she located the nearest elevator. She was well on her way. Up, up, up! Her future in Oklahoma City was beginning to glow brightly.

Besides, there was a cute, sandy-haired, smooth-talking associate on the eleventh floor Beth was starting to feel a certain attraction for. His name was John Marbly. He was a decorated United States Army veteran. Although they had not yet exchanged any intimacies, Beth always did enjoy her men in uniform.

Back in Astatula, a few emails were all Cody had to hold on to every time he missed Beth. And, he did. A lot! He never understood why she had to leave and move so far away. Oh, she tried to explain her decision to him, but Cody still felt he was to blame for her departure. It always seemed whenever he grew close to somebody he ended up alone.

Today was no different. His Little League baseball team was scheduled to play their first game of the season. Cody knew how proud Beth would be of him for earning the second base position on the Marauders.

When Cody scanned the bleachers, he also knew Beth would not be there. Why did Oklahoma City have to be so far away? It might as well have been the North Pole! As far as he was concerned, Cody was no closer to his friend than he was to the reindeer who pulled Santa's sleigh.

Dejected, Cody slowly trotted out to second base as the Public Address Announcer introduced him in an excited voice, saying, "Make some noise for Number 13, Astatula's own Cody Schroder!"

Somehow the loud reaction of the fans' applause did not do much to improve Cody's feelings. There was still no Beth in the stands rooting for her favorite player, even though she had promised him that although she had to go away she would return for his first game.

"So, where was she?" Cody wondered to himself.

Cody would have preferred a bad excuse to no news. To him, that just meant once again another adult had lied to him. He was quickly learning adults would tell you anything. Most of what they said you simply could not believe.

He always thought Beth was somehow much better than that. He decided he was wrong. Still, he wished she was there for him, like she had always been before, watching him play. He could easily forgive her. If she would just come back home.