Chapter 31
Wade and Danielle
Dani glanced around the arena. It was the opening night for the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, and she was excited to see Wade perform for the first time.
And it was wonderful that the entire family was there.
The Montgomerys, the Manchesters, and Haven and Skylar.
The place was packed, indicating the popularity of this event.
Over the past few months, her relationship with Wade had grown closer.
He visited her in San Francisco, and she made frequent trips to his ranch in Dallas.
For Christmas, they had joined the family on Lance and Asia’s island and had a great time.
What had made it even more special was that it was her mom and Jeremiah’s first wedding anniversary.
They left three days later for a ten-day trip to Europe.
Now they were back, here at the rodeo, and like the other members of the family, they were dressed in western attire. Her twin nephews were thrilled that Wade had taken them behind the chutes for a tour. When they returned, they gleefully told everyone about meeting all the other rodeo cowboys.
Everyone was looking forward to Haven and Skylar’s wedding in March. At the end of the month, everyone would be traveling to San Francisco to attend their engagement party.
An hour later, Dani heard the announcement that Wade would be next in the saddle bronc riding competition.
She knew this was a stunt he’d performed numerous times, but still, she couldn’t help but be nervous.
From the cheers in the arena when his name was called, it was quite apparent that he was a rodeo favorite.
When it was Wade’s time, she held her breath as she watched him ease his legs over the huge horse.
After giving a nod that he was ready, the gate swung open, and rider and bucking horse emerged.
Her nephews were screaming Wade’s name. So were other family members.
Although she feared for his safety, she could feel the adrenaline surge in the crowd.
No matter how desperate the horse was to get Wade off its back, Wade wasn’t going anywhere.
When the buzzer finally sounded, Wade had the best scores so far.
And when, thirty minutes later, the announcer declared Wade the winner, it seemed the entire arena applauded.
One of the men bought out a beautiful white horse for Wade, and he jumped on the animal’s back and raced across the arena.
Dani wondered where in the world Wade was going when she suddenly realized that he was headed in her direction.
The next thing she knew, he had brought the horse to a stop, jumped off the animal’s back, leaped over the railings, and sprinted to a stop in front of her.
As if he didn’t care that the entire arena was watching, he got down on one knee in front of her, pulled a small box from his pocket, and said, “I love you, Dani. Will you marry me?”
Dani didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Of course, I’ll marry you, Wade.”
After sliding the most beautiful diamond ring on her finger, he stood and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. The entire arena cheered and applauded. Wade Harrison not only had a big rodeo win tonight, but he also got his girl.