The Heart’s f*******n Winter

Chapter 4

Elias caught sight of Amelia almost immediately, his expression lighting up with that easy smile she had come to expect from him. He urged his horse into a trot, drawing nearer.

“There you are,” he called out warmly, his Texan drawl rich and familiar. “I was startin' to wonder if you’d disappeared into the snow. Thought I might have to come find ya myself.” His voice had that comfortable, affable tone, the one that always put Amelia at ease, at least for a moment.

Amelia offered a smile, but it was strained. Her heart was still racing from the encounter with Luke. “I was just… thinkin’. Needed a break from everything.”

Elias dismounted with a fluid grace, his eyes studying her face with a hint of concern. “You sure you're alright? You seem distant today. I don’t mind tellin’ ya, it worries me a bit, Miss Hart.” His words were soft, gentle, and caring—everything Amelia had been taught to look for in a man.

“I’m fine,” Amelia replied quickly, forcing the words past her lips. “Just tired. It’s been a long few days.”

Elias smiled, though there was still a shadow of doubt in his eyes. “I know what you mean. It’s been a long time since we had a day like this, hasn’t it? The whole town’s buzzin’ with excitement about tonight’s dinner. You’ll be lookin’ beautiful, as always.” He gave a soft chuckle, reaching out to touch her arm lightly, his fingers warm against her skin. “I’ll be lookin’ forward to seein’ you there, Amelia. I don’t want to sound too forward, but you make a man forget about everything else when you’re around.”

Her stomach churned, and the hollow ache inside her seemed to grow even larger. She felt a stab of guilt. She had promised herself she’d give Elias a chance, that she would try to see what everyone else saw in him. He was kind, thoughtful, and good-hearted. But in that moment, standing in the barnyard with him, she felt nothing more than an overwhelming sense of obligation.

“I’ll be there,” Amelia said again, her voice more distant this time. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Elias nodded, his smile widening. He stood there for a moment, looking at her, as if waiting for her to say more, to give him something he could hold onto. But Amelia couldn’t. The words she longed to say, the words that felt right in her heart, were stuck deep inside her. There was no room for the truth.

“I’ll see you then,” he said finally, his voice warm and steady. “Take care of yourself, Amelia. You’re worth a lot more than you think.”

And with that, he remounted his horse and rode off toward the house, leaving Amelia standing alone in the snow. She stood there for a moment, watching him disappear into the distance, before she finally turned toward Amelia’s world felt like it had slipped into a dream that no longer made sense. The days blurred into one another, and no matter how hard she tried to live up to the expectations placed on her, nothing seemed to quiet the storm inside her. Elias was kind, thoughtful, everything her mother had raised her to want. But there was something missing, something she couldn’t explain. And then there was Luke.

She couldn’t stop thinking about him, not even when she was with Elias. The moments with him, those stolen glances when he thought she wasn’t looking, the way he seemed to see straight through her façade—it consumed her. But Luke was a world apart, dangerous and untamed, like a fire she couldn’t seem to avoid even though she knew it would burn her.

That night, as Amelia dressed for the Whitmore family dinner, her hands shook. The dressmaker had brought a gown fit for a princess—velvet, dark green, with lace that whispered of refinement and wealth. It clung to her like a second skin, but even its beauty couldn’t soothe the ache deep inside her. As she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, she imagined for a brief second that the woman staring back at her was someone else—a woman who wasn’t bound by her family’s rules or the expectations of a future she didn’t want.

But then, just as quickly, the thought fled. She had no choice. She had been born into this life, and this life was all she could have.

The dinner was exactly as she had expected—an endless parade of polite smiles, practiced conversation, and a looming sense of obligation in every word spoken. Amelia’s mother was radiant in her element, always charming, always perfect. Elias was everything he needed to be—charming, respectful, his every movement in sync with the polished image of the Whitmore family.

But none of that mattered. All Amelia could do was steal glances across the room, searching for the one person who haunted her thoughts.

And there he was.

Luke Donovan.

He stood in the corner, talking to a few ranch hands, his tall frame dominating the space. His clothes were rugged, different from the fine, tailored suits the men here wore, but he carried them with a kind of quiet power that made everyone take notice. The contrast was striking—his rough-hewn boots, the collar of his coat turned up against the cold, his face hard but impossibly handsome. Even from a distance, Amelia felt a heat creep into her chest. He looked… out of place, but in a way that made him even more magnetic.

And then, as if sensing her gaze, he looked up.Amelia’s world felt like it had slipped into a dream that no longer made sense. The days blurred into one another, and no matter how hard she tried to live up to the expectations placed on her, nothing seemed to quiet the storm inside her. Elias was kind, thoughtful, everything her mother had raised her to want. But there was something missing, something she couldn’t explain. And then there was Luke.

She couldn’t stop thinking about him, not even when she was with Elias. The moments with him, those stolen glances when he thought she wasn’t looking, the way he seemed to see straight through her façade—it consumed her. But Luke was a world apart, dangerous and untamed, like a fire she couldn’t seem to avoid even though she knew it would burn her.

That night, as Amelia dressed for the Whitmore family dinner, her hands shook. The dressmaker had brought a gown fit for a princess—velvet, dark green, with lace that whispered of refinement and wealth. It clung to her like a second skin, but even its beauty couldn’t soothe the ache deep inside her. As she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, she imagined for a brief second that the woman staring back at her was someone else—a woman who wasn’t bound by her family’s rules or the expectations of a future she didn’t want.

But then, just as quickly, the thought fled. She had no choice. She had been born into this life, and this life was all she could have.

The dinner was exactly as she had expected—an endless parade of polite smiles, practiced conversation, and a looming sense of obligation in every word spoken. Amelia’s mother was radiant in her element, always charming, always perfect. Elias was everything he needed to be—charming, respectful, his every movement in sync with the polished image of the Whitmore family.

But none of that mattered. All Amelia could do was steal glances across the room, searching for the one person who haunted her thoughts.

And there he was.

Luke Donovan.

He stood in the corner, talking to a few ranch hands, his tall frame dominating the space. His clothes were rugged, different from the fine, tailored suits the men here wore, but he carried them with a kind of quiet power that made everyone take notice. The contrast was striking—his rough-hewn boots, the collar of his coat turned up against the cold, his face hard but impossibly handsome. Even from a distance, Amelia felt a heat creep into her chest. He looked… out of place, but in a way that made him even more magnetic.

And then, as if sensing her gaze, he looked up.Luke stepped closer, his boots crunching on the snow as he came to stand beside her. His presence was overwhelming. She could feel his heat, his raw energy vibrating in the cold air. He didn’t touch her—didn’t need to. Just being near him was enough to send her senses into overdrive.

“You don’t think I know what it’s like to feel trapped?” Luke asked, his voice low, almost too quiet to hear. He was standing close now, close enough for her to feel the weight of his words. “To be caught between two worlds that never seem to make sense?”

Amelia’s throat tightened. She turned to face him, their gazes locking. Her breath came in shaky, uneven gasps. She wanted to say something—anything—but the words wouldn’t come.

“You can’t stay here forever, Amelia,” Luke murmured, his eyes dark and intense. “Someday, you’re gonna have to make a choice. A real one.”

His words hit her like a slap, and her heart gave a violent jolt. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the front door creaked open behind her, and she heard her mother’s voice calling her back inside.

“Amelia? Where are you?”

The spell was broken.

Luke stepped back, his expression unreadable. “Don’t forget what I said.” He turned, mounting his horse, his figure blending with the night. But before he left, he called over his shoulder, his voice just a whisper in the wind. “I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

Amelia stood frozen for a long moment, staring into the distance where he had disappeared. Her mind was a blur of emotions—guilt, longing, and something darker, deeper that she couldn’t place.

And then, as if to punish herself, she closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like to be in his arms. The warmth of his body, the rawness in his touch, the freedom he promised. She could almost feel the pull of it, the promise of something real, something wild. She could almost taste it.

But then the reality of her situation crashed down on her again. Elias. Her family. Her future.

A future she wasn’t sure she wanted anymore.

That night, as Amelia lay in bed, the moonlight filtering through the curtains, her thoughts kept returning to Luke. Her mind wandered back to that moment outside the house, to the feeling of his presence, to the way his words had cut through her, raw and honest.