Finding Sleeping Beauty

by Tarrah Montgomery

  “Try it again,” Nate urged. “Remember to arc it.”

  “Right.” This time I did as he instructed and threw the ball in a high arc. My aim was off and it landed directly into the water.

  “Here’s your last ball.” He handed it to me.

  This game wasn’t fun anymore, I decided. The fake ducks seemed to taunt me.

  My hand shot out and threw the ball hard at the ducks. It bounced off one of the duck’s heads and landed right in a cup. I waited for it to bounce out, but it didn’t. “I made it,” I squealed.

  “Now you get a prize,” Nate said.

  All right, I like this game.

  The man with the dirty shirt came over and congratulated me, then pointed to a pile of small stuffed animals and told me to pick one. There were much larger stuffed toys, but Nate said I needed more wins to get those. So, I picked a tiny pink bear.

  “Thank you for teaching me to play,” I said.

  “I’m not done teaching you.” Nate winked. “Now let me show you how to really play.”

  He handed the man more money and got three more balls. Nate expertly arced each one into the pond, right into a cup. He bought three more balls and got another perfect score. After two more rounds, he won his pick of the biggest prizes. He chose the cute brown bear that dwarfed my pink bear by a hundred times.

  “That was wonderful,” I said.

  Nate looked at my tiny bear. “Your arms seem empty. How about you hold this for me while we’re on our date?”

  He took my pink bear and gave me the big bear. It was so soft and squishy. I could pretend to hug someone when I wrapped my arms around it. “It’s adorable,” I gushed.

  “I won it for you,” Nate said shyly.

  “Truly?”

  He flashed me a smile. “I couldn’t stand to see you carrying that small bear around and have anyone think I wasn’t man enough to win you a bigger prize.”

  “Are you really giving it to me?”

  “Yes.” He tilted his head. “Do you like it?”

  “I love it, thank you.” I hugged the huge bear again.

  “Good, I’m glad.” Nate put his hand on my elbow and guided me away from the duck pond. “I’m ready for some food. Are you hungry?”

  “Not really. I had a hamburger with Abby, and some other food at the produce fair.”

  Nate slid his hand down my arm and intertwined our fingers again. “Eating is one of the best parts of the fair. How about a corn dog?”

  “Corn dog?” Please don’t let it be a real dog.

  “Your home . . . Fenmore Falls, right?” he asked.

  I was touched he remembered. “Yes.”

  “Doesn’t it have corn dogs?”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t have hamburgers, either. I had my first one today.”

  Nate pulled at my hand. “Well, darling, you’re about to have your third lesson for the evening—how to eat the county’s best corn dog.”

  I giggled at his enthusiasm. “Lead the way, my brave tutor.”

  Soon I was savoring the sweetness of a corn dog. With red sauce (called ketchup) dripping down my chin, I laughed until my side ached when Nate tried to clean the ketchup off his own chin and managed to drop his corn dog, smearing ketchup all over the front of his shirt. He tried to clean it up but ended up spreading it more.

  “Well, this shirt is ruined. I have to change into a different shirt for the rodeo, anyway.” He started unbuttoning his shirt.

  I froze as I watched him remove his shirt. He had a white one underneath with no sleeves. His arms were bare from the shoulders down. I could see every muscle, every vein, every beautiful part of his arms. I had never before laid eyes on a man’s bare arms.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Nate said.

  I closed my eyes, trying to get the image out of my mind. It’s not working, I thought. “It’s not working,” I muttered out loud.

  “What?” Nate asked.

  My eyes shot open. Did I just say that out loud? When I saw him smiling at me, I closed my eyes again. “Um . . . I should go find Abby.”

  He chuckled. “I love it when you blush.”

  “I’m not blushing,” I said, knowing I was fire red.

  He chuckled again. “Open your eyes, Dani.”

  “I’m just resting them for a minute.”

  “I’ll put my shirt back on,” he said. “You can open your eyes.”

  I squinted through one shielded eye and watched him don his shirt. He left it unbuttoned, but at least it was covering his sculpted arms.

  When my eyes were fully open, he said, “Let’s take you back to Abby, and you two can meet me later at the rodeo.” He lowered his eyes a little. “If you want to, that is. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I was just saying you could meet me, because I’ll be there, but if you wanted to do something else . . .”

  I stopped him by putting my hand over his mouth. “Of course I’ll be there.”

  I don’t know why, but my fingers stayed on his lips. Blame it on his hypnotizing magic. I felt his mouth lift into a grin underneath my fingers. I stood still, unable to pull away. My body froze as I watched him carefully kiss my hand.

  There was a shout from a group of people on a nearby ride, breaking the spell.

  I withdrew my hand and began to fiddle with my fingers in my lap. For the first time this evening, our conversation lapsed. Both of us seemed unsure of what to do now.

  “Come on,” Nate said. “Let’s find Abby.”

  Yes, we needed to find her, because I was scared of what I’d do if I was alone with this man any longer. There was something special in our magical moment, almost like a dream. Almost like the romantic songs I wrote in my head.

  Oh, blessed day! I think I’m falling in love.

  Chapter 12

  “Once Upon a Dream”

  I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream.

  I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.

  And I know it’s true that visions are seldom all they seem.

  But if I know you I know what you’ll do,

  You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream.

  Once upon a night, I dreamed we’d be together in love forever.

  Once upon a night, I was wishing for a never, a never ending.

  —Sleeping Beauty, Disney, 1959

  I had never heard that song until Dorothy sang it one day. The lyrics are perfect, aren’t they?

  The Rodeo

  After we found Abby back at the grandstand, Nate said he had to get ready for the rodeo and quickly left.

  “Tell me everything,” she demanded as soon as she and I had walked over to the rodeo grounds and were sitting on the front row of the bleachers.

  My cheeks warmed at the memory of my time with Nate.

  “Is he in love with you yet?” Abby asked.

  “Abby, be quiet,” I whispered. “Please.”

  “Well, is he?” she said loudly.

  I rolled my eyes. “Not if you have anything to do with it.”

  “Me?” She put her hand to her chest. “What did I do?”

  “Let me think.” I tapped my finger on my chin. “Who was the one who told Nate to make me fall in love with him? Hmm . . . who could that be?”

  She shrugged. “Someone had to push you both in the right direction.”

  “Thank you, Abby, for being my friend,” I said seriously.

  Her eyes glistened a little. “We’re sisters, remember?”

  “Right.” I gave her a quick hug with one arm.

  She grinned. “Are you ready for your first rodeo?”

  “I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

  “My favorite event is first,” she said. “Calf roping.”

  “That sounds . . .” I searched for the right word.

  “Exciting,” she inserted for me.

  “Questionable” was the word I was going for, I thought.

  “Troy said he and Nate are
helping with the untying,” Abby told me.

  Just then, the announcer declared that the calf roping was starting. They lined up calves and each one took turns running away from men on horses who tried to rope the calf. Once the cute little thing was stopped by the rope, the cowboy picked it up and flipped it onto its side. Next, the man tied the calf’s legs together with a short rope. And if that wasn’t enough, they waited for six seconds while the poor animal lay on the ground and struggled until they finally untied it.

  “How barbaric,” I exclaimed. “Those poor calves.” I put my hand over my mouth to contain my shock.

  “They don’t get hurt—I promise they’re fine,” Abby said.

  The only civilized thing about the spectacle was when two cowboys ran and freed the calf. I looked closely and recognized them as Nate and Troy.

  My hero, I gushed silently.

  After they freed the calf, the boys hustled back to the sidelines.

  “Here comes another one!” Abby said.

  Reluctantly I watched another calf get chased, roped, tackled to the ground, and tied up. Soon, Nate ran to its rescue. He lost his hat during the commotion, and I decided he looked younger with his hat off, more like a boy than a man. I couldn’t help smiling.

  When the calf was free, Nate fetched his hat but didn’t run with his brother back to the sidelines. Instead, he veered toward where Abby and I were sitting. When he reached the railing directly in front of us, he held his hat out to me. “Will you take care of this for me? I don’t want to lose it.”

  I could feel stares from all directions. Abby nudged me, so I finally said, “Um . . . all right.”

  I held out my hand, but Nate put the hat on my head. “It looks better on you anyway.” He gave me that cute one-sided grin.

  He stepped away from the railing and rejoined Troy.

  A minute later, as I was watching Nate and his brother untie another calf, I heard Brian’s voice next to me. “That was quite a performance,” he said.

  Shocked, I turned to see him plop down in the seat next to me. “What are you doing here?” I asked, frowning.

  “I’m sure you remember we planned to watch the rodeo together.” He said it so arrogantly that I disliked him even more.

  Having given up on using the proper princess manners for rejecting a suitor, I said, “I never agreed to that, Brian.”

  He ran his hand down my arm. “People are watching, so let’s not make a scene. We’re just two friends sitting here enjoying the rodeo.”

  Abby turned to me with a concerned expression. “Should we leave?” she mouthed.

  I shook my head, then gathered my courage and met Brian’s gaze. “Look, it seems like you got the wrong impression earlier. I never promised to watch the rodeo with you, and I never said I would dance with you again. Just to be clear, I am not interested in spending time with you, as a friend or otherwise. ”

  Brian’s lips formed a tight line.

  I leaned a little closer to Abby and directed my attention to the rodeo. “Well done,” she whispered as she nudged me.

  Feeling empowered, I smiled. I’d have to stick up for myself more often.

  The calf roping ended, but the rodeo continued for another hour or so, with different kinds of races and events. I didn’t see Nate again until the bull-riding championships. He and his brother helped keep each giant bull caged up until the next cowboy was ready to put his life on the line. All I understood was the men who stayed on the bucking animal for at least eight seconds were rewarded with roaring applause from the crowd. The ones who didn’t last as long received a small cheer.

  Crazy Idaho people, I thought.

  After some time, Brian tried to hold my hand, but I kept my fingers tightly tucked in my lap. Doesn’t this boy ever give up? Later I resorted to folding my arms, which princesses should never do in public. But I had no other option.

  When the bull riding was over, Nate and Troy came over to us. Nate didn’t even look at Brian—he simply held out his hand for me and said, “There’s a better place over here to sit for the fireworks.”

  Fireworks? Now, that sounds exciting.

  I slipped my hand into his and stood. Thankfully, Brian didn’t say a word; he just stayed in his seat as we left. Nate, Troy, Abby, and I walked to another area of the bleachers and sat down. Abby sat next to me, with Troy on her other side.

  I gave Nate his hat. He seemed tense, and finally he asked, “Did you want to stay over there with Brian?”

  Surprised, I said, “No, I want to be here with you.”

  “Are you sure? I feel like I forced you to spend the evening with me without giving you a choice.”

  “Of course I want to be with you.” I paused to emphasize what I was about to say. “Even if had to choose, I’d still choose you.”

  Nate’s apprehension seemed to melt away. “Really?” he said.

  “Really.”

  “But you could be with anyone right now,” he said.

  “I’m right where I want to be.”

  He slightly caressed my cheek with his fingers. “Who are you and where did you come from?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m just Dani.”

  “And that’s what makes you so perfect,” he said. “You’re modest to a fault. I can’t get enough of you.”

  I found myself leaning toward him as I watched his eyes turn darker. The energy between us was magnetic. My eyes lowered to his mouth, and I licked my lips.

  “Will you two knock it off?” Troy shouted out.

  I quickly pulled back from Nate. How could I have considered kissing him? My reputation would be ruined.

  I took a deep breath.

  Abby nudged my arm. “What’s wrong?”

  I looked at her and exclaimed, “I can’t do this.”

  She laughed. “Can’t do what? Fall in love?”

  “Shush,” I said.

  “Don’t act so surprised, Dani. I told you he liked you.”

  I shushed her again.

  “She’s right,” Nate whispered in my ear, quiet enough for only me to hear.

  I turned shyly toward him.

  “You have a very smart friend,” he said.

  My heart fluttered at his smile.

  “The fireworks are about to start,” Abby said, oblivious to my conversation with Nate. “Have you ever seen fireworks, Dani?”

  I shook my head.

  Both Nate and Abby looked at me, and even Troy stared at me in shock.

  “You better hold on to me then,” Nate said, “because you’re in for a surprise.”

  I seized onto him with a death grip when the so-called “fireworks” started. It sounded like a war with bombs flying through the air. I covered my ears to block out the deafening explosions. I cowered my head into Nate’s chest and he wrapped his arms around me. Every few seconds another bomb blasted up above, and the crowd responded with oohs and ahs.

  “Dani, you have to look at them,” Nate spoke next to my forehead. “They’re not scary when you can see them.”

  I peered up into the sky and gasped at the bright colors. What looked like twinkling stars would burst and then drizzle down the black backdrop.

  The more I watched, the more I was transfixed. Red would trail up into the sky, and then an explosion of green would burst into a flower and glimmer until it disappeared. My heart began to feel the music of the performance. The atmosphere was tranquil and played a quiet melody until another explosion sounded. Like the percussion instruments in a symphony, each blast was a rumbling, deep, booming sound. It was breathtaking.

  “When you’re not afraid to open your eyes, sometimes you see something worth looking for,” Nate said.

  I turned to look at this man who wasn’t looking at the fireworks but at me.

  My heart erupted with a song—the most beautiful song I had ever heard. I never wanted it to end. But once the fireworks were over, it was time to go home.

  Abby and I rode with Nate and Troy in their blue truck. The short dr
ive back to Shelley was quiet; everyone seemed too tired to talk. The truck only had one row of seats, so Abby and I sat between the two guys. Being next to Nate, who was driving, kept me distracted from the speed of the vehicle. It was sweet torture being close to him but unable to hold his hand or have his arm around me.

  When we pulled into the town of Shelley, I dreaded saying goodbye to him. I wished this night could last forever. The feeling only increased when he parked in front of Dorothy’s house. He jumped out of the truck and held out his hand for me. I slipped my hand into his. I loved the feel of his strong fingers around mine and the electricity that passed between us when he touched me.

  Somehow I managed to notice Troy letting Abby out his side of the truck “Good night, Troy. Good night, Nate,” she called as she headed up the sidewalk.

  Nate didn’t even glance up in response. He helped me step out of the truck and then closed the door. He pushed me back ever so slightly against the truck and leaned his head to speak next to my ear. “Good night, Dani.” Goosebumps ran down my neck.

  “Good night, Nate,” I breathed.

  His thumb made lazy circles on the back of my hand that he was still holding. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

  I swallowed. “I think so.”

  He smiled his half grin. “I love it when you do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Bite your lip. You do it a lot.” He reached and traced a thumb across my mouth. “It’s irresistible.”

  It felt like my legs were melting and I might collapse onto the ground.

  “Well, I’ll say good bye, then,” he said, “till tomorrow.”

  I smiled. “Thank you, Nate, for a wonderful night.”

  He leaned in again. But this time his mouth wasn’t near my ear; it was a breath away from my own mouth.

  Oh my! Is he going to kiss me?

  I had never actually been kissed before. Sure, people had kissed my cheek—mostly older members of the nobility when they came to visit the castle—but I had never been kissed on the mouth by anyone, especially a boy I liked.

  “I had a wonderful night too.”

  It was dark, but I could feel the smolder in his eyes. Oh, blessed day! I swooned.

  Nate’s mouth moved closer to mine. Suddenly, I felt like everything was happening too fast. It had been my best day ever, yet I wasn’t absolutely sure I wanted him to kiss me. Maybe I need to know him better.