SNOWBOUND HEARTS: Chapter Thirteen

The past just caught up with them—and it’s not playing fair.

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

This chapter is a storm brewing on the horizon that finally breaks. One moment, Anna and Dwight are in the safety of the ranch, the next, everything shifts. The fear, the tension, the danger that’s been creeping closer—it all erupts into something neither of them can ignore.

From the first jolt awake, Anna knows something isn’t right. What starts as unease quickly spirals into a full-blown nightmare. The safety of the ranch? Gone. The idea that they might have time to figure things out? Shattered. And the terrifying reality that Malachi Wolfe isn’t just a distant threat, but a very real, very dangerous force closing in on them? That realization hits hard.

This chapter is all about high-stakes action and consequences. Anna is faced with the brutal truth that she isn’t the only one at risk—everyone she cares about is now a target. And Dwight, for all his strength and control, is confronted with something he can’t protect her from. The fight isn’t just about survival anymore—it’s about what happens when the worst-case scenario becomes reality.

Then there’s the aftermath. The quiet, aching moments that come when the dust settles. When words are harder to find than ever, and emotions run too deep to name. Dwight is a man who holds everything close to the vest, but in this moment, we see just how much Anna means to him.

This chapter is a turning point—not just in the story, but for the characters themselves. The danger is no longer creeping in the background. The stakes aren’t just high; they’re personal. And from here on out, nothing will ever be the same.

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“That bastard is back!” The shout jostled Anna from sleep. For a moment, she thought she might be dreaming, but then she heard another one.

She sat up. “Dwight,” she said, shaking him awake.

He opened his eyes and frowned, focusing on her face.

“Something’s going on outside,” she whispered.

He sat up, blinking and rubbing his eyes until he could focus on finding his clothes.

“Hey boss!” Three hard knocks followed Sonny’s yell.

“What is it?” he answered back.

“You better get out here,” was all Sonny said.

They dressed quickly. Neither saying a word about what had happened. That conversation would have to wait. Whatever was going on outside took precedence.

Dwight grabbed his hat, slid his jacket on, and hurried to the door. Anna followed, sliding her arms into the warmth of her borrowed garment as he opened the door with a harsh curse. “Goddamn it, Sonny. This better be important.”

Sonny brought his rifle down from his shoulder and chambered a round. “That cougar is back.”

Dwight took hold of Anna’s hand and pulled her out the door while keeping her shielded behind him.

She couldn’t make sense of it. She knew cougars were dangerous predators and could pose a substantial threat to livestock. But all this fuss for a cougar? It hardly seemed logical.

Unless…