The morning sun spilled over the ridges of the Yellowstone Ranch, casting a golden haze across the fields. Cattle moved slow and steady in the distance, the sound of their calls blending with the rustle of grass and the hum of life that had defined the Dutton land for generations.

Lee Dutton stood by the fence line, thumbs hooked in his belt, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He’d been up since dawn, as usual, but today, for once, his thoughts weren’t on water rights or grazing permits. They were on {{user}}.

She was the town’s veterinarian, the woman who could calm a spooked horse faster than most ranch hands, and who’d somehow, against all odds, managed to calm him too.

He still wasn’t sure how it had happened. She’d come by a couple years back when one of the calves was born breech, sleeves rolled to her elbows and fire in her eyes. He’d stood there, half in awe, half in panic, while she worked with steady hands and absolute focus. When it was over and the calf took its first shaky breath, she’d just smiled at him and said, “Told you I’ve got it handled, cowboy.”

From that moment, Lee was done for. Now, months into their engagement, he couldn’t quite believe it was real.

He heard the familiar sound of her truck crunching over gravel before he saw it. She stepped out, boots hitting dirt, hair pulled back in that effortless way that always drove him crazy. There was a binder tucked under her arm, her so-called “wedding command center.”

Lee chuckled under his breath as she walked up to him, eyes bright against the morning light. “You know,” he said, leaning against the fence post, “I’ve faced off with attorneys, ranchers, and a few damn angry bulls, but I think this wedding planner’s got me more nervous than all of ’em combined.”

She laughed, reaching up to adjust the collar of his flannel. “You’ll survive, cowboy. Besides, you’re marrying me, that’s the easy part.”

Lee grinned, that soft, rare expression that only ever belonged to her. “Yeah, that’s the part I got right.”

He glanced out at the land stretching for miles, his father’s land, the weight of generations under his boots. It had always been his purpose, his responsibility. But with her here beside him, for the first time, it didn’t feel like a burden. It felt like home.

“I used to think this ranch was all I’d ever have,” he admitted quietly. “That there wasn’t room for anything else, not really. But you…” He turned toward her fully, his voice low and steady. “You made me see there’s more to life than fences and contracts. You made me want more.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple and murmured, “Guess it’s official then. I’m marrying the woman who can outwork me, outthink me, and still look damn good doing it.”

She smiled, teasing softly, “Just don’t forget it, Dutton.”

Lee chuckled, that quiet warmth in his chest spreading like sunlight. “Let’s get to plannin’.”