Chapter 1
Winter Sparks
The Unexpected Meeting
The first snow of December had just begun to blanket the streets of Ashford.
Emma Collins hurried along the cobblestone paths, her scarf wrapped tightly around her neck, clutching a notebook and sketching supplies to keep her hands warm.
She had intended to spend the afternoon drawing the festive market square, but fate seemed to have other plans.
A sudden collision nearly sent her tumbling onto the snow-covered pavement. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, looking up into the worried eyes of a stranger.
“No—my fault,” the man said, steadying her with a firm but gentle grip. He was tall, dark-haired, with a kind smile that made Emma’s heart skip a beat. “I should have been paying attention.”
Emma felt a rush of warmth that had nothing to do with the cold. “I guess we’re both clumsy today,” she said, laughing nervously.
He chuckled. “I’m Luke Henderson. And you are?”
“Emma… Emma Collins.” She realized her sketchbook had slipped from her hands during the collision, and he was crouching to pick it up. Their fingers brushed briefly. A spark, faint but unmistakable, seemed to pass between them.
“You’re a… artist?” Luke asked, noticing the sketches peeking out from the notebook.
“Yes. I like to capture moments,” she said, her cheeks coloring slightly. “And apparently… collisions.”
He laughed again, the sound rich and warm, echoing in the snowy square. “Well, then, perhaps we should collide more often,” he teased, making Emma’s laughter bubble up uncontrollably.
As the snowflakes danced around them, Emma felt an unexpected certainty. Something about this moment, this stranger, felt like the first page of a story she wanted to see unfold.