Good lord, please nobody else post anything about some random-assed state's age of consent laws. They're legal.
6 yrs, in itself, isn't a big deal.
In fact, the ages aren't the biggest deal at all. Her youthfulness presents a slightly different aspect of womankind, but for the most part just treat her like you would any woman, regardless of age. The guidelines of this site don't need to be altered much at all for this.
Where you have me scared is with the 'I'm in love with her' part. Now, there's nothing wrong with being in love, or even getting hurt by a woman. All the macho keyboard jockeys are just fooling themselves if they think they can go through life without vesting enough emotion in a girl to get hurt- and still live a fulfilling life.
What I'm talking about is the effect young girls can have. They can seem so good, so un-tainted, so energetic. And they can seem like they love you a hell of a lot- but really they don't know what it is they're dealing with. They are usually nieve and are easily swayed by men...meaning you might probably have issues with one of her 'guy friends' sooner or later. And then there's the whole maturing process she has yet to go through.
My point being, it's hard to really love someone who hasn't even defined themself yet. It's not impossible for you to be in love (and if you really are, I hope it works out), but it's unlikely. Without a doubt, you're attracted to her, but love is a very strong word to toss around.
Anyways, I say go for it. Go balls out, don't ever turn down an opportunity with a good women without a good reason. And a low probability of relationship success does not constitute a 'good reason'; the success of ANY relationship has a low success rate- it's a given. And on that note, of all those problems I and others have listed abt 17 yr old girls, if you really look the same problems (or slight variations thereof) plague older women as well. It's a mixed bag- IMO your odds aren't either hurt or helped by her being 17.
So go for it. Balls out. Don't be afraid to get hurt- if you don't get hurt by her it'll be someone else. And as always, I recommend to fulfill your life in other ways as much as possible. It makes everything better, and will ease any hurt that can come of this.
Good luck, and I hoped this helped- E-Z