A Grand Teton Sleigh Ride: Four Generations of Wyoming Ranchers Celebrate Love at Christmas (34 page)

“And”—Ty tugged something from his back pocket—“this is why I really brought you out here.”

He held out a small velvet box.

“What, Ty?” Hayley was far more excited about what the box might hold than she was to learn she would finally have her own art gallery. “I want to hear you say it.”

He popped it open. “I should get down on one knee.”

“No,” she said. “Stay right there and say it.”

Ty grinned the way she loved. “Hayley Covington, I love you more than life itself. I’d do anything for you. Will you marry me?”

“I think you know the answer to that.”

“But you’re going to say it, right?”

“Yes, Ty Walker, I’ll marry you.” Hayley let Ty slip the engagement ring on her finger, and then she put her chilled fingers on his red cheeks and kiss him long and hard, remembering Daddy’s words:

“All it takes is a little kindling to start afire blazing.”

Elizabeth Goddard is an award-winning author with over twenty novels and novellas, including the romantic mystery,
The Camera Never Lies
—winner of the prestigious Carol Award in 2011. After acquiring her computer science degree, she worked at a software firm before eventually retiring to raise her four children and become a professional writer. A member of several writing organizations, she judges numerous contests and mentors new writers. In addition to writing, she homeschools her children and serves with her husband in ministry.

Lynette Sowell is an award-winning author with New England roots, but she makes her home in Central Texas with her husband and a herd of five cats. When she’s not writing, she edits medical reports and chases down stories for the local newspaper.