The Untold Story of Prince Charming (Book 2 of Cinderella Series)

Chapter 3

"That is nobody!" Delilah screeched like a banshee, her eyes becoming wide and filled with shock. She grabbed my arm and tried to pull my attention away from the female in the arena, but it didn't work because I was still pulled towards her by an unknown force.

We were near the gate when Delilah screeched like a banshee, and the mare became startled by the unattractive screech.

She snorted and tossed her head, her white mane billowing like a white flag, signaling her defeat. She whinnied as she tucked her head close to her body. She started to buck, and my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound like a runaway train, afraid for the female on top of her.

The girl held onto the horse while the horse turned into a bucking bronco. There was no fear on her face, as if she had done this before multiple times. Her mouth moved, but I couldn't hear what she was saying to the startled mare.

The mare started to slow down, her ears turning to that of her master. She finally stopped bucking around, and I could breathe again because the girl was safe.

My father made a small sound in his throat, and I looked over at him. He didn't tear his gaze away from the female, but I could tell that he had seen both of her parents in that girl. His eyes had this look in them while he remembered his friends, friends that I had never gotten to meet.

I pulled my gaze from my father and looked at the female instead. "Are you alright?" I asked, and the female looked at me. I could tell that she was beautiful underneath that helmet, and I couldn't help but want to hear her voice to see if she was as beautiful as she looked.

She opened her mouth to say something but closed it, not making a sound. Her blue eyes were trained me as she studied me, and I couldn't help but wonder what she saw.

I stayed still as she studied me, and I thought I couldn't breathe. I prayed that she would say something to me because I wanted to hear what this beautiful girl sounded like.

"I'm fine," she said finally. Her voice was hard, but I could hear a softness to it. She ignored the clucking sound from my left, her gaze on me. "Excuse me; I have to make sure that her bucking episode is over with."

She turned the mare away from us and nudged her into a canter. And as she was running away from me, I couldn't help but have this urge to chase her until I could make her mine.

~***~***~***~

Julie stopped reading and looked at the wall in front of her. Her mind was whirring a mile a minute, and she couldn't help but wonder what her father had seen underneath that helmet.

Did he see the need for human acceptance that her mother had craved? Did he see the love that her mother had wanted? Was that why he decided to chase her? Or was there something more?

Was there a force that tried to push them together that they didn't know about? Or was there actually something as fate?

Whatever the reason was, their paths had crossed each other when Mom needed him the most.

Julie sighed and moved a hand through her hair. She shook her head before looking at the page of her father's handwriting and started to read it again.

~***~***~***~

"Ella, get back here right now!" Delilah screeched from beside me.

I cringed at the sound, thinking that she was some sort of cat trapped in a human body. I watched the female slowed the horse down into a trot and turned her towards us.

"Yes, Delilah?" she asked, hatred filling her voice. Her blue eyes were filled with this deep hatred, and I couldn't help but wonder why she hated her stepmother so much. Was her stepmother like those stories, or was there something else?

"Don't give me that tone, Young Lady," Delilah said. There was a warning in her tone, and I could tell that it caused the girl to stiffen on her horse.

She gritted her teeth together but didn't retaliate and only nodded her head. She pulled her horse into a walk and walked over to us, pausing when she was on the other side of the fence. "Of course," she said, her voice cold.

"I suppose that you work here," my father said, and I looked at him, tearing my gaze from the female. He looked impatient, and I did not know if it was because he was talking to her or if he wanted to get his business done and go.

"And, live here, Sir," she replied. She glanced at her stepmother and narrowed her eyes at her before moving her hand through her mount's mane.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Isabella Contre," she replied. She looked at us, her blue eyes shining underneath her helmet. "Ella, for short." She glanced at me before looking at my father. Her face was an unreadable mask, and I wanted her to look at me again for some reason. "What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Steve Andrews," my father replied. He gestured toward me. "This is my son, Dean." He looked at the horse before looking towards the barn. "Do you ride all the horses here?" he asked, turning to look at her again.

"Yes, Sir, I ride the horses here," she replied, nodding her head. "I train them for others to ride, also. Red Ramsey, the stable hand, teaches me how to ride and helps me train them."

"What can you tell me about Blue's Clues?" he asked. "Mrs. LeStrange sold him to me."

Shock and fear filled her face after my father said that. Her face became pale, and I was worried that she would have fallen off of the horse. She looked at her stepmother, and I could see the anger in those startling blue eyes of hers. "You didn't," she said, her voice filled with hatred and a small accusing tone. "You didn't just sell my horse to this man."