Always priding herself on her elegance, Beth stood stoically alone in the evening shadows like a bandit ready to strike. The million-dollar beauty queen looked like the cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine. Dabbing a dollop of her finest Chanel Dior perfume on her neck and wrists, Beth wanted this encounter to be special. One never to be forgotten.

Recapping the bottle the fragrance emitted from, Beth opened the clasp on her black clutch. She dropped the flask into her purse then securely reclosed the fastener. Nervously, she waited. It had been too long since Beth felt like a woman ... Sheriff Brock Daniels' woman.

Dressed in an avant-garde satin gown, one that exposed her bare left shoulder, a continuous river of questions flooded through Beth's mind as she paused on the corner of Cassandra Boulevard and Elmhurst. That was where the Pastosa Fairre Ristorante was located. Definitely no greasy spoon cafe, the Italian eatery was well known for its Triple Chocolate Tiramisu. The exquisite dessert was tantalizing, and the low-lit ambiance of the bistro created the appropriate aura for their rendezvous.

A shivery night breeze whooshed across the street as Beth stepped radiantly out of the shadows. She knew she should never have abandoned the Sheriff, or walked out on Cody who she dearly treasured, especially since they were the only ones she unceasingly wanted. Would they be able to reconcile?

Could the fractured fetters be repaired? Would Brock Daniels restore her back to where she belonged? Beth could not blame him if he didn't. Would he even be there to meet her at all, as he promised her when they spoke on the telephone that afternoon he would be?

Would Cody forgive her for deserting him? He had been through so much upheaval in his life. How she missed his mischievous ways! The last footprint Beth ever thought would be on his heart was hers. After all, she was the one who rescued him from his suffering existence of violent abuse in Palo Pinto. The bigger question remained could Beth forgive herself for all the distress she'd caused the three of them in her moment of weakness?