SNOWBOUND HEARTS: Chapter Fourteen

Secrets unravel, guilt grows, and a new reckoning begins.

Snowbound Hearts is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations, reviews, and articles.

Copyright © 2024 by Mina Beckett

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-7375127-6-9

Print ISBN: 978-1-7375127-7-6

Published by: CurtissLynn Publishing

Cover design: Shiver Shot Design

All rights reserved.

BEHIND THE WORDS

In this chapter, I wanted to delve deep into the crushing weight of responsibility that comes with trying to protect the ones you love. Dwight is no stranger to duty, but here he’s forced to confront the raw fallout of a situation spiraling out of control. The conversation with Nolan isn’t just about recounting what went wrong—it’s a moment of reckoning for Dwight, where past mistakes collide with present dangers.

I’ve always been fascinated by how guilt and duty can intertwine. Dwight’s regret over not being there when Anna needed him is palpable, and his internal struggle to balance his protective instincts against a relentless, escalating threat really drives the narrative. Through terse dialogue and introspective pauses, I aimed to capture a man haunted by his past and weighed down by the promise he made to keep his world safe.

There’s also an undercurrent of mystery that ramps up the tension. As new evidence emerges, it forces all the characters—especially Dwight—to reexamine their assumptions about loyalty, danger, and trust. The stakes are higher than ever, and every piece of the puzzle feels like it could tip the scales in a way none of them ever expected.

Ultimately, chapter fourteen is about facing the consequences of choices made and recognizing that sometimes, even when you do everything right, life has a way of testing you in the most unexpected ways. It’s a turning point—a collision of duty, regret, and a desperate search for redemption.

---

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“How is she?” Nolan asked, his eyes a mixture of concern and regret as he motioned for Dwight to take a seat across from the desk.

Dwight sat down, pushed the brim of his Stetson up, and pressed his palms against his eyes, feeling them burn from worry and exhaustion. “A bump on the head and a few bruised ribs.”

“She was lucky,” Nolan said.

Dwight's mind played the scene over, the roar of the explosion that had sent a shockwave through the ranch, the way his heart had plummeted to his boots at the sight of Anna's silhouette outlined against the flames, her body flung backward with brutal force. “I should have seen this coming.”

Nolan leaned back, his chair creaking under the weight of the unsaid. No one, including the sheriff, had taken the threat against Anna seriously. “What happened blindsided all of us.”

Dwight wasn’t going to make excuses. One of his ranch hands was in critical condition and the other would have to undergo months of physical therapy just to walk again. He didn’t want to think about what Malachi would have done to Anna if they hadn’t stopped him. “She could have died, Nolan.”