Finding Sleeping Beauty

by Tarrah Montgomery

  A princess must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, and dancing. A lady’s most essential talent is dancing. All celebrations involve dancing; therefore, the princess is expected to master every step. A dance is a showcase—an occasion for her to shine. Everyone observes when she dances.

  Later

  The food entered in the county-fair contests was great. After I tasted it all, I asked Abby how the judges picked the winners.

  “Beats me. But I need to get out of here before I eat another bite. I’m stuffed.”

  I didn’t know what Abby meant by being stuffed, but like her, I wanted to get away from the tempting food.

  Once we exited the food barn, as it was called, the sounds of the fair greeted me again. This time, however, there was something different—a unique and exciting noise in the background. It sounded like live music.

  “I hear the band!” Abby said just as I gasped with delight. “Let’s dance off some of the calories we just ate.”

  Now that is something I know how to do, I thought as she pulled me along.

  We ended up at a small amphitheater, where some people sat and watched the performance, while other spectators bounced and swayed to the music. Abby called this place the grandstand. On the stage, the musicians energetically played very loud instruments I had never seen before. My father would never allow such an outburst of music at the castle, but I liked how I could feel the beat in my chest. The unique rhythm pounded in my head, and for a minute I watched the players with fascination. My skills at the piano were nothing compared to this talent. Their fingers moved rapidly over their instruments, and I found myself mimicking the way their bodies moved to the beat.

  I looked around, expecting people to line up and promenade to the music, but I only saw couples swinging to a sort of quickstep. All my years of dance training in Fenmore Falls had never prepared me for this kind of choreography.

  “Do you want to dance?” I turned to see Brian, the boy who had called me a cowgirl, standing next to me. Like the castle guards back home, his disposition seemed severe and daunting. He even had a natural scowl above his eyes.

  “Excuse me?” I said, surprised he was talking to me.

  “I asked if you’d like to dance.”

  “Uh, I don’t know these steps.”

  “I’ll teach you.” He took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

  I looked over my shoulder at Abby, who shrugged her shoulders and mouthed, “Have fun!”

  Have fun? I didn’t know about that. I’d probably trip on his feet and make a fool of myself. Add this to the list of ways I’ve completely embarrassed myself since I arrived in Idaho. That list was growing by the minute.

  When we got to the center of the dance floor, Brian placed his other hand at my waist. I was familiar with the closed dance position, but not with being this close. He pulled me even nearer until his chest touched mine. I gasped and looked up to see his eyes squint with satisfaction. He knew I was uncomfortable, but he obviously didn’t care.

  “You smell great,” he whispered.

  “Um, thanks.”

  “I found out your name is Dani.” While he talked, he began turning me in small circles as we stepped back and forth, which I guessed was their type of dance. “I also know Abby’s mom is a friend of your mom.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to someone who shouldn’t know anything about me. We hadn’t even been properly introduced.

  “However, I haven’t been able to find out where you came from. I heard about your French conversation with Ms. White. Where did you learn to speak French? Everyone has noticed you. And they are talking about you.”

  I lowered my eyes to escape Brian’s questioning. I was starting to feel sick. It was just like my last dance at the castle when that guy, Matthew, said he knew about the curse.

  Brian put a finger under my chin. “You are very fascinating, Dani. I only want to get to know you. Sorry if I made you feel awkward.”

  “It’s all right,” I lied, grateful he had noticed my distress. Still, there was no way he knew how much his touch made my skin crawl.

  “Are you here with Nate and Troy?” he asked.

  “No, why?”

  “Because they’ve been watching us.”

  I looked at the brothers, who stood at the edge of the dance floor, staring at us. Nate averted his gaze when our eyes met.

  “Are you crushing on one of those boys?” Brian asked.

  I frowned at him.

  “I was hoping to be the first guy to take you on a date.”

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  “Are you dating one of them?” Brian motioned to Nate and Troy.

  Oh. Dating must be the same thing as courtship. I shook my head and replied, “We are only friends.” After all, Nate had never told me that he wanted to court me.

  “The best place for a boy to be with a girl is friendly and then friendlier.”

  “It’s not like that,” I said. “Besides, Abby favors the older one.”

  “I can’t blame her for liking Nate. Every girl in school wants him for her boyfriend.”

  “No, Abby likes Troy, the older one,” I told Brian.

  “Nate is the older one.”

  “When their dad introduced them to me, he said Troy was his oldest son.”

  “Troy is his oldest biological son. Nate is a stepson and is actually older by six months.”

  Suddenly I realized that when I’d talked to Abby about the brothers, she never mentioned the name Troy—she just said she liked the older one.

  My heart deflated. I didn’t realize how much I liked Nate until I learned my feelings would have to be buried. Abby liked him, so they needed to be together. Besides, I shouldn’t even consider being courted by a young man who was unsuitable in so many way. First, he was impolite. Second, he treated me like I was crazy. And third, we were from different worlds.

  “Thanks for the dance, Dani.”

  The song had ended and Brian was telling me goodbye. My mind had wandered off with thoughts of Nate. Somehow I managed a curtsy, forgetting they don’t do that in Idaho. Oops.

  Brian smiled for the first time, but it still seemed to have a bit of scowl in it. “You’re a very interesting girl,” he said.

  I just stood there looking at him.

  “I’ll see you around,” he said after several silent seconds. “Hopefully we can dance again.”

  I watched him walk away. He must be even more cruel than I thought, since he forgot to escort me off the dance floor. A lady should always be chaperoned back to her group to wait for her next dance partner. I looked around and didn’t see other men doing that, so clearly it wasn’t expected here in Idaho.

  As I turned to walk off the dance floor, I saw Nate talking with the brown-eyed girl from French class. I didn’t know why she hated me, or why seeing her talking to him made me so jealous.

  Stop thinking about him, I told myself. You can’t have any feelings for him. Besides, Abby liked him, and I would never do that to a friend.

  “How was it?” she asked as I returned to stand next to her.

  “Brian makes me uncomfortable.”

  “Yeah, he’s weird.”

  “He held me too close and kept asking questions.”

  “He’s been weird since kindergarten. It’s probably best to ignore him.”

  “He said he wanted to dance again.”

  Abby leaned close to say, “Well, we’ll just have to keep you occupied so you won’t be available for another dance.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She tilted her head toward the band playing on the stage. “Come on, let’s dance.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “With whom?”

  “All by ourselves.”

  “Without a man?” I squeaked.

  “Yes, silly, without a guy—or in this case, without guys.”

  I must’ve frowned, because she explained, “Look, it’s a line dance, where you dance by yourself, sort of. It’s easy. I�
�ll show you how.”

  Each person on the floor was dancing without a partner, but they all did the same steps in some sort of pattern. I watched as they lifted their legs, shuffled a little, and turned in a circle. The unusual dance was something we would never do in Fenmore Falls . . . and it looked fun.

  Abby and I moved so we were at the back of the group, and I began to mimic the way the others moved their feet.

  “Once you learn the first part, you just repeat it,” Abby told me. She performed the steps flawlessly, so I tried to replicate her moves.

  The steps were simple, thank goodness. We tapped our heels and toes a lot, and we did some spinning around. I really liked the part where we touched the ground and leaned back on our foot and yelled, “Yeehaw!”

  After a few rounds, I had learned the pattern and started to really enjoy the dance, tapping and spinning with exhilaration. Of course I’d always loved dancing at the castle, where we always had a partner and followed set routines, but it was amazing to dance by myself. I was free to move as I wanted, and best of all, I didn’t have to worry about what to say to my partner.

  I performed the rest of the dance with lots of energy, not worrying about making mistakes. My cowboy boots marched along with the rest of the dancers, and each time I twirled faster and kicked my legs up a little higher. I didn’t care that I was in Idaho and far away from home. I wasn’t bothered that a wizard was looking for me to enact his evil curse. All my troubles had gone, and the only things left were the music and the dancing.

  When the song was over, Abby came next to me. “That was fun,” she said in between breaths. “You know how to shake it.”

  “I love to dance,” I said.

  “I can tell,” Brian commented as he walked up to us.

  Why did he have to come back? I thought, but managed a small smile. “Hello, Brian.”

  “You were hot out there,” he said.

  Yes, I was feeling hot and sweaty. Was it that obvious?

  “I want to dance with you again.” He reached for my hand, but I scooted toward Abby so he couldn’t touch me.

  “Leave her alone, Brian,” she said.

  “I wasn’t talking to you.” He scowled at her, then stepped closer to me. “I want to dance with you.”

  “She’s dancing with me.”

  Nate’s voice behind me caused me to jump. Where did he come from? And why is my heart racing even faster?

  Brian reached for my hand again. “I asked her first.”

  Nate stepped in front of me.

  “Don’t mess with me,” Brian said through gritted teeth.

  Nate held his ground. “Give Dani a break and let her dance with someone else.”

  “Why don’t you mind your own business?”

  Nate folded his arms and stepped closer to Brian. Even though Brian was large and menacing, Nate was taller and visibly stronger—I could see the outline of the big muscles in his arms. Brian looked like a beanpole in comparison.

  “She doesn’t want to dance with you,” Nate stated.

  Brian puffed out his chest. “Of course she wants to dance with me.”

  “Why don’t you ask her yourself?” With his chin, Nate motioned back toward me.

  “Do you want to dance with me or him?” Brian asked me.

  Even though I didn’t appreciate Nate deciding for me, Brian made me uneasy, and I didn’t want to be alone with him again. But I didn’t know how to politely refuse him.

  “I thought we had a connection.” Brian raised his eyebrows in question.

  “Doesn’t her silence explain enough?” Nate sounded really annoyed.

  “Let Dani talk,” Brian growled.

  I cleared my throat. “Thanks for the request, Brian, but I’ll dance with Nate.”

  Frowning, Brian grabbed my arm and said, “Nobody says no to me.”

  Nate yanked Brian’s hand off me. “Walk away, Brian, before you regret it.”

  I moved slightly behind Nate, my arm aching from Brian’s tight grip.

  “Don’t be fooled by him, Dani,” Brian spit out. “The Haney boys are bad news.”

  Before Brian could say more, Nate led me away. We reached the other side of the dance floor and he asked, “Are you okay?”

  Hot tears burned in my eyes. “I’ll be all right,” I murmured.

  “You’re shaking.” Nate wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. Just like when we first met, goosebumps covered my body. It was so different from Brian’s possessive, overbearing touch. Nate’s touch was tender and careful. He treated me like I was special.

  “Thank you,” I said once I felt a bit calmer. “I didn’t know how to tell him no.”

  “Call me your knight in shining armor, then.”

  You can be my knight anytime. I giggled at the thought. No, wait. I can’t have feelings like that. Not only were they improper, but they would hurt Abby.

  I stepped away from Nate’s embrace and glanced around at the other couples on the dance floor. They were doing the same quickstep as earlier. “I don’t really know how to do this dance,” I admitted.

  “You mean the princess who speaks French can’t do a simple two-step?”

  Instantly irritated, I said, “Don’t mock me, I’m new here.”

  “You’re just so fun to tease sometimes.” Nate smiled his crooked grin. “Come on. I’ll show you how.”

  He placed one hand at my waist and began to shuffle his feet in a small routine. “Slow-slow, quick-quick.”

  I stepped on his toes a bunch of times but managed to figure out the two-step. As we danced quietly, I had time to recover from my encounter with Brian. One of my weaknesses was avoiding confrontation even when it was necessary. Part of being a good princess, and future ruler of my kingdom, was to manage altercations. There wouldn’t always be someone around to save me, so I needed to start defending myself. I vowed to do that.

  After a while, Nate inhaled deeply and said, “I’m sorry if I offended you by teasing you, Dani.”

  “Thank you. But I don’t understand you sometimes. You seem concerned about me, but there are times you are upset with me. Why did you even ask me to dance?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “For some reason I feel compelled to watch out for you.”

  “I don’t need you to watch out for me.” All my life, my teachers and guards and parents and servants and everyone else had watched out for me. I was sick of it.

  “Suit yourself,” Nate said stiffly.

  “You’re so infuriating.” I wanted to scream.

  “I’m infuriating?” he asked with wide eyes. “You’re the one who got upset because I’m trying to be nice.”

  “Your temperament changes faster than I can count to three.”

  “It does not.”

  “Yes, it does, Nate. You couldn’t stand me when you brought me to Dorothy’s house on the night we met, and you didn’t say a word to me when I met your stepdad. But then you were so nice to me in French class yesterday. I don’t get it.”

  “I guess I was still trying to figure you out. You’re not exactly like the other girls around here, and I wanted to make sure you were for real.”

  “What do you mean ‘for real’?”

  “Don’t you remember I found you pretending to be a princess, hiding out in an abandoned house? That’s not normal.”

  “I wasn’t hiding out.” I spoke louder now. “I was lost and trying to find my way.”

  Nate stopped dancing. “I’m sorry, Dani.” He took both my hands. ”I’m not trying to upset you.”

  I looked down at his hands holding mine. “I promise I wasn’t hiding out,” I said softly this time.

  “I believe you.” He squeezed my fingers gently. “I’m sorry I was teasing you again.”

  “I should be used to your bantering by now,” I said with a playful smile. Then I got serious. “I’m glad you were there that night to bring me to Dorothy’s house. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  “I’m glad I
was there too.” Nate’s words hung in the air. I hadn’t noticed until then, but the song had ended, and the silence made his statement a little more profound.

  Feeling awkward, I looked down at his hands that still held mine. Thankfully, the band began playing a song with a lively beat.

  “Do you know this dance, or do I get to teach you this one too?” Nate asked.

  The fast dance routine going on around me looked like a big tangled mess of arms. “What is this one called?”

  “It’s the country swing.”

  “Yes, please teach it to me,” I said determinedly.

  Nate leaned his mouth close to my ear. “Oh, I can teach you plenty of things, Dani.” Then he kissed my cheek.

  Yes, you heard me right. He kissed me. Only on my cheek, but I wasn’t complaining.

  Chapter 10

  Another Unanswered Question from My Childhood:

  Why Can’t I Be Courted Yet?

  “Why?” I whined to my parents. At age fifteen, I still managed to sound like an eight-year-old.

  My mom rolled her eyes. “You know why. We’ve been over this a million times.”

  “I’m at a respectable age to receive suitors. Instead, you keep me locked up in this cage like an animal.”

  My dad took his turn. “That’s quite enough, Danielle. You will wait until the age of sixteen, and then men will be permitted to court you. This decision is nonnegotiable.”

  “Ugh.” My response was very unladylike . . . and the most rebellious thing I could do in front of my parents.

  “Danielle, don’t be so dramatic,” my mom said. “Why don’t you go to the piano and play something theatrical?”

  Both my parents chuckled as I turned around and marched out of the room. Little did they know that instead of pounding out a theatrical song on the piano, I would get under my bed and compose the most theatrical song ever written.

  Ha! Take that!

  After Nate’s Kiss

  In Fenmore Falls, a gentleman would never kiss a young lady unless they were betrothed. So, when Nate kissed my cheek, it shocked me. And while I should have been appalled by the gesture, I found it rather . . . delightful. My cheek tingled with happiness.

  Nate raised both my hands in an irregular dance position and said, “Hold on, Princess.”