Piotr spins in a circle, his head tilting back with his tongue hanging out as the first snow of winter coats the pastures a shimmery white.

Behind the fence, Dane ducks down and forms a snowball, his eyes narrowing dangerously on Tucker, who is possibly the only ranch hand working right now. Before Dane can let loose his icy weapon, however, Jameson hurls his own snowball right at the back of his head, sending white shards dusting over my best friend’s head.

They all laugh, passing around the thermos of hot chocolate and whiskey. It’s hard to focus on work when the snow is falling in picturesque flakes that make you want to lay down in the fresh white powder and make snow angels.

“You good, man?” Dane asks lightly, closing his eyes as the warm, boozy drink glides down his throat. “You’ve been awful quiet today.”

“Thinking about your lovely lady?” Piotr waggles his eyebrows.

I laugh, shoving my hands in my pockets as we turn toward the stable. Sloane is in there somewhere, feeding the horses and making sure that they’ll be warm enough for the night. Sloane’s easily one of the best workers we’ve ever had on the horses. They love her more than any other ranch hand here. Months ago, when I first met her, I couldn’t have imagined the small, spunky girl would become the fearless ranch hand she is now.

Has it really been six months since I asked her to stay?

The days pass so quickly with her at my side. Her quick grin and sharp tongue lighten every day. After Miranda’s husband convinced our old cook to finally retire to Florida, Sloane’s bright face didn’t allow anyone to be sad for too long, and she even took the helm at hiring someone new.

Even Daniel recognizes Sloane and me as a couple now, though I’d been worried that the cantankerous foreman would be slow to accept it.

Daniel meets my eyes as he takes the thermos from Tucker, tilting his head back to drink in his own share of the liquid.

“New Miranda is good.” Piotr nods contentedly, patting his stomach. “Sloane picked a good one. This hot chocolate is marvelous.”

“Is marvelous your word of the day?” Tucker asks glibly, arching a playful eyebrow.

Impervious to the teasing, Piotr nods. Miranda’s farewell gift to him was a calendar with various English phrases on it. At least he’ll expand his vocabulary past “wedgie” now.

“Don’t let the cook hear you call her the new Miranda.” Tucker sighs with a frown. “She doesn’t like that. Take my word for it.”

The men laugh again as Daniel straightens, turning back to me with a slight jerk of his chin.

“It looks like Sloane’s finished with the horses,” he says simply, clearing his throat.

The ranch hands fall quiet as Daniel shifts from one awkward foot to the other. Suddenly, everyone’s looking back at me with silent questions on their faces. Has Daniel shared what I’m about to do?

With a simple nod, I reach forward and swipe the hot chocolate thermos, taking a long gulp of my own before passing it back to Daniel. He grins, patting my shoulder and leaning back on the fence as I turn and march through the fresh snowfall.

The house, barns, and cabins are all coated in that gleaming, beautiful white of snow. It’s perfect, though there is only one thing on my mind that can make this gorgeous day even better.

I inhale deeply as I approach the wooden doors, the singsong melody of Sloane’s sweet voice drifting from inside.

Finally, digging my hands back into my pockets, I step inside.

“Still talking to the horses?” I tease, leaning back against the wooden wall.

It’s warm in here, and the horses all look comfortable while stealing sugar cubes from Sloane’s pale hand. I lean back and drink in the look of her, from jeans so tight they could be painted on her perfect body to the oversized, warm jacket she borrowed from my closet without asking. I haven’t told her how much I love it when she does that. The clothes she borrows smell of her for a week.

“You know you talk to them too.” She grins, kissing Crumpet’s nose before turning to me.

A tender smile crosses her mouth, her cheeks rosy from the chill in the air and the affection I can see so clearly in her eyes. The affection that is only for me.

“This is where we first met,” I say lightly. “Remember?”

“How could I forget? You were such a jerk.” She sidles closer with a laugh, trying to lean into my chest, though I gently take her hands in my own and stand her upright.

Her wide, sweet grin twitches down into a frown as her head tilts. “Is something wrong?”

I shake my head, my heart beating so fast against my ribs that I can barely concentrate on what Sloane is saying.

“No,” I whisper, slowly dropping down to one knee. “Sloane, everything is even more marvelous then I could ever imagine.” I choke on my words, internally thanking Piotr for that one as her eyes grow wide as saucers.

My hand slips into my pocket to drag out a modest ring box. While it’s no thirty-thousand-dollar seven-carat diamond, I’ve been saving as much as I can every single month to get her the ring she deserves.

“Oh my god, Cord,” she breathes excitedly, not even looking at the ring box as I pop it open, her eyes only locked on me. “What are you doing, you crazy cowboy?”

“Marry me, Sloane.” I grin, so nervous that I almost drop the box. “I only want you. Forever. You’re the only thing in my life that has ever made sense, and I never want to let you go. I love you—”

She doesn’t let me finish. Instead, she sinks down to her knees and throws her arms around my neck as her mouth crashes against mine so roughly that we tumble backward. We laugh as we kiss deeply and cling to one another.

“Yes!” she screams in delight.

Cheers erupt from the front of the stable. Daniel, Piotr, Tucker, and Dane look on from the open door. Sloane’s uncle turns away slightly, dabbing at his eyes.

“It’s about damn time!” Dane hollers, clapping loudly.

Sloane finally remembers the ring, gazing at it in wonder as I slip it on her finger. She turns back to me, and I kiss her again.

As we look into each other’s eyes, I think about that night she had a feeling that made her come after me and help apprehend the cattle thieves. I think about the feeling that made her come to this ranch. And I think about what brought us together: a thing larger than a simple feeling. A knowing. A sense that couldn’t be denied. A power that’s so big I’ll probably never be able to put a name to it.

Whatever it is, it moves everything good in the world. To be a part of it, all I have to do is close my eyes and let go.