Shay felt at home in Austin’s cabin, inside his embrace, with his beautiful words filling her ears. He loved her.

And when he kissed her, she could feel it in the tenderness of his touch. Sense it in the way his lips trembled slightly against hers before capturing them more firmly. She believed it in the way he pressed her closer to him, and gave as much as he took.

He pulled away and said, “All I want for Christmas, ever, is you.” It should’ve been cheesy, a line from a song. But he was serious, his blue eyes burning like the hottest part of a fire.

Then he asked, “Can I really not eat that cookie?”

She sucked in a breath and then giggled, the sound turning into a full laugh a few moments later. “Yeah, you can eat it.”

“Let me give you your present first.” He stepped away from her, and she moved all the way into his cabin. He’d bought a set of modern black couches that somehow fit in the rustic cabin. A small dining room table sat in the far corner, with the kitchen opposite it, with three bright blue barstools at the counter.

He picked something up off the table and turned back to her, hiding it behind him. “I didn’t wrap it. I wasn’t sure when I’d give it to you.”

“You just said you were going to drop it off.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t.”

“I probably would’ve eaten that heart for breakfast,” she admitted. “Though I ate about five cookies today already. I’ve been kind of nervous.”

He nodded, like her nervousness was normal. “Me too. I just wasn’t sure if you were coming or not.” He stepped forward, his voice soft when he added, “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too.” Shay really wanted to see what he had behind his back, so she settled onto the loveseat and waited.

“This might not mean much,” he said, joining her but keeping the gift hidden. “But when I saw it, I thought it was perfect. And that you’d want it.” He brought his hands out from behind him to reveal a silver picture frame.

She took it from him, her eyes locked onto the trio the photograph depicted. Tears touched her eyes when she saw the radiant smiles on her parents’ faces. On her own face.

“When was that?” he asked. “I think you’re about eight.”

“I’m nine,” she said. “And I’ve just won the jump roping contest at school.” She glanced up at him, not even caring that she was about to cry. “See that ribbon? First place in the fourth grade Olympics. I was so happy, and my parents took me out to dinner to celebrate. We took this just before we left.”

“That’s what I saw in it,” he said. “Happiness. Family. Joy. Faith. It seemed like everything your childhood was, before your mother died.”

Shay traced her finger over her face, which held more happiness than she’d felt in a long time. “It was all of those things.”

“My brothers and I….” He cleared his throat. “We want all of that for this ranch again. They have someone to help them build it. But I need you.”

I need you.

I love you.

Shay wiped her eyes and looked at Austin, right into the depths of his eyes, all the way into his soul. And she let him all the way into her life, her mind, her soul too. “All right.”

He drew her into his embrace again, the picture getting smashed between them as he kissed her like a man in love. Shay had never been kissed like that, and she wanted to hold onto every last moment of it.

Finally, she said, “Your phone has gone off three times. Everyone is probably wondering where you are.”

He jolted and pulled his phone from his back pocket. “Shoot. We’re late. C’mon.” He extended his hand to her, and Shay had never been happier to slide her fingers through his. He called his brother as they descended the steps and said, “Yeah, those are Shay’s. Can you distribute them? We’re walking back now. Be there in a few minutes.”

He hung up. “Dylan’s handing out your gifts. They’ll wait for us. I guess a couple of the ranch hands haven’t come in from their chores yet either.”

She kept her hand firmly in his as they walked back, and when he led her up the front steps and into the house, Shay finally felt like she was coming home.

The air smelled like pine trees and sugar, and the sight of thirty stockings hung at various heights along the walls met her eyes. She pulled in a breath and pressed one hand over her chest.

“This is beautiful,” she said, gaping at the lit Christmas tree, with pure white lights and dozens of multi-colored ornaments. Another couch had been brought into the room, along with a piano bench and lots of chairs.

Austin’s mother stood from one of the chairs, her eyes taking in everything between Shay and Austin with a single sweep. A smile graced her face, and she said, “Hello, Shay, dear,” before giving Shay a hug.

Shay held on tight, knowing she should let go of the woman before things became too awkward. But she smelled just like Shay’s mother had, and she hadn’t hugged her mother in so, so long. Unexpected tears burned in her eyes and Shay pulled back to look at Alex. “Merry Christmas.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

“To you too.” Alex stepped back and indicated a very tall, very bald man. “This is my boyfriend, Barry Dalton. Barry, this is Austin’s girlfriend, Shayleigh Hatch.”

Pleasantries were exchanged and the front door opened again, and more ranch hands entered the house.

“All right,” Shane called, and more people entered from the kitchen. Somehow, they all piled into the living room, and every chair got taken. She met the piercing blue eyes of Austin’s father, a man she hadn’t met yet, but he settled near the entryway to the kitchen, out of the way of everyone.

“Welcome to our annual Christmas Eve gift exchange.” Shane smiled at everyone like he was a six-year-old looking at Santa himself. “We’ve got appetizers and finger foods in the kitchen, but we’ll do the gifts first.”

“And dinner tomorrow is at noon,” Dylan said. “My mom is makin’ her famous brown sugar spiced ham, and everyone is invited if you’re not goin’ to visit family or anything.” He looked at Austin, who stood.

“So when we were boys, my mother would hang stockings for everyone on the ranch. She’d add little gifts to them the entire month of December and on Christmas Eve, we’d all gather to open everything inside. So, we wanted to recreate that here at our own ranch, since the one we used to have was…lost.” He swept his eyes past his father, and his face turned the slightest bit pink.

“So anyway. You all have a stocking here. We’ll pass them out, and you can start unpacking them.” He moved to the one closest to him and unpinned it from the wall. He walked over to Oaker and handed it to him.

Giddiness paraded through her, her anticipation high, as she waited for her stocking to be delivered. Austin kept hers in his hand until the very end, then he sat down beside her and handed it over. He flashed her a sexy, handsome smile and then started rummaging through his own presents.

People laughed, offered gratitude, and started eating some of the treats they’d received. Shay pulled out chocolates, peppermint bark, and a sucker with a scorpion in it. She got socks, a bag of hard suckers, and gloves. Each little gift was nothing all that special. They had her name on them and who they were from.

As she looked around the room, a rush of peace and gratitude filled her. This was what Triple Towers Ranch was meant to be. A gathering place for anyone and everyone who came here. A place of refuge from the storms of life. Love, laughter, joy.

She knew she never could’ve brought that to this ranch. But the Royal brothers could. They already had. They’d made a family out of the ranch in just six short months.

And while she’d decided several days ago to try and get Austin back in her life, she still wasn’t one hundred percent sure her reasons were pure.

But she knew now. Looking around at all the smiles, listening to the laughter, and basking in the joy, she knew that Triple Towers Ranch was meant to be theirs. She could only hope and pray that she got to stay here for as long as possible, in whatever capacity the Lord deemed right for her.

The following day, Shay woke with the first rays of dawn. Christmas Day always felt different, for a reason Shay couldn’t quite name. But she felt loved in that moment, and she closed her eyes again and offered a prayer of gratitude for the feeling.

Shane had declared that they were doing just minimal chores that day to keep everything alive, so she took her time getting ready. She didn’t work directly with animals, but Austin did, and she knew she’d find him in the hen houses, herding the chickens out to the yard so he could feed them.

Sure enough, he stood there, clucking along with his birds, a fondness in his eyes for the fowl that she certainly didn’t understand.

“Morning.” She leaned against the fence and watched one particularly plump chicken strut around, pecking the ground every other step.

“Hey, beautiful.” He walked through the feathers and kissed her. “Did you sleep well?” After the gift exchange, she’d snacked on deviled eggs, drunk hot chocolate, and eaten more than her fair share of the caramel popcorn. Austin had stuck by her side all night and insisted on walking her home.

He’d kissed her under the light of the moon, and Shay had once again felt the love and passion he seemed to have for her.

“Well enough,” she said. “Took me forever to get going today.”

“I can see that. It’s almost nine, and you’re just now showin’ up.” He gave her a grin and went back to his work. “Of course, I’ve been out here for two hours and I’m still not done. So.”

She detected something in his voice. “Oh, yeah? Don’t want to go home?”

“My dad’s there.” He shrugged. “He’s fine. I didn’t want him to be alone on Christmas.”

“Well, I have to go pick mine up in an hour or so. You’re welcome to ride along if you’re not needed in the food prep.”

“Is that a joke?” He grinned at her. “You think I can’t cook.”

“I know you can’t cook.” She laughed and reached back to start braiding her hair. “But maybe they need you to set the table or put out extra chairs.”

“I can ride along,” he said, his voice a little too casual.

Shay giggled again. “All right, then. I’m gonna take Lizzy and Molly out for a bit. Get them nice and tired so they don’t bark during dinner.”

“Come pick me up when you’re ready to go.”

She waved at him, then whistled at her dogs to come with her. She walked down the road, throwing a ball the shepherds fought over every time. After an hour out in the fields with them, she put them in the back of her truck and started to climb in the cab.

But a card and a black box the size of a deck of cards stopped her. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, and her fingers shook as she reached for the card.

It was a Christmas card, with a beautiful, watercolored tree on the front. Gold lettering said Merry Christmas in swirling, cursive font, and Austin’s chicken scratch had been penned on the inside.

I know this might not be traditional, but I guess we’re not very traditional around these parts. I love you, Shay. I’m hoping that by next Christmas you’ll be my wife.

Love, Austin

Shay pushed her breath out in a steady stream. “Is this a proposal?” she asked the empty air around her.

“Yes.”

She spun to find Austin loitering near the front of the truck. She dropped the card, everything that was happening coming at her from all sides. Scrambling to pick it up, she faced him, her mouth dry.

“You’re asking me to marry you?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He’d cleaned up nicely and now wore clean jeans with a bright green sweater with Christmas lights embroidered on it. She almost started laughing, and he glanced down at his chest.

“So my mother makes us wear an ugly Christmas sweater every year.” He grinned and shrugged one shoulder. “It makes her happy.”

Adoration flowed through Shay, but she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around the card she held and the box she hadn’t opened yet.

“So I know you said you needed time,” he said, crowding into the space between the open door and the truck. He picked up the black box. “A year’s a long time, Shay. Maybe we can get married at Christmastime, next year.”

He looked at her, his eyes barely meeting hers from under the brim of his cowboy hat. “You’d make me the happiest man in Texas if you said yes.” He cracked open the box to reveal a beautiful, brilliant diamond. Nothing huge or fancy. Just something classic. Something perfect.

Shay’s pulse clamored in her chest. She met Austin’s eye, and all the nerves, all the anxiety, all the worry, left her body in one fluid rush of energy.

“Yes,” she said.

He whooped, grabbed her around the waist, and twirled her away from the truck and onto the sparse front lawn. “Yes?”

“Yes.” She laughed this time, and her hands continued to shake like brittle leaves in an autumn wind as he slid the engagement ring onto her left ring finger.

“I love you, Shay.” He touched his nose to hers, sobering the moment. “I’ve loved you for a long time.”

“I love you too, cowboy.” She tilted her head back to align her mouth with his and kissed her fiancé.