The workers greeted them as they walked, the Texan drawl embedded into each and every one of their accents. Although Cyrus didn't know any of them by name, he responded politely to their greetings and smiled when needed. Jonathan made sure to show the electric doors for the stables and the chicken pens, all monitored in a room somewhere else on the ranch. Impressed was an understatement. The younger man was in awe of how much change had been brought in. When they finally reached the orchard, a wide smile stretched across his face at the electric wires running along one fence at the side. The land was huge and the trees stretched back farther than he could see, but he was sure whatever was at that end was safe-guarding the apple trees as well.
"These ones have had a good season. Tried a whole new treatment for them yknow so they nice, juicy and completely healthy. No toxic nonsense at this end." The pride was highly detectable in Jonathan's voice as he stared up at one tree that stood high above them. The orchard had always been his baby and came second only to his family. The livestock was more of his sweetheart's thing and although she was gone, he made sure to keep it up and running just like she'd have wanted
"Very impressive. I'll be sure to send a few boxes of wine when the next production set comes out." Cyrus replied, reaching up to grasp one that hung on a low branch
"I'd appreciate that. I'm sorry you had to walk all this way, sir. I know your legs must hurt from all this walking."
"Kind of you." A smirk appeared on his face and his eyes twinkled in the sun "But I'm actually grateful for the exercise. Haven't had a walk this relaxing in a while, even if it's work related."
"Yeah, I'm sorry you had to come all the way down here too. I try my best to be on top of everything, but I guess I can't. Thank goodness Sakura showed up or else I'd have been in a deeper hole than I am now."
"Sakura?" The foreign name quipped his interest and had him raising his eyebrows in mild interest. He knew Jonathan had two sons; Tyler and Wallace. One of whom was married to a local girl from Sunny Hill.
"I believe you have to meet her sir. She's the one that's in charge of all the security stuff around here. Why I'd have never been able to grasp anything if not for her."
Now Cyrus was interested. There was a woman named Sakura living on the ranch and she was the brains behind every modification that had been made so far. Now, he was more than interested to meet her. Instead of walking back, Jonathan directed him to the mini jeep that was perfect for the dirt. He had seen a few others scattered in various places. Apart from riding the horses, he guessed that it was how they got around.
Jonathan's home had long disappeared from view during their walk and now with the jeep, they drove deeper and deeper into the realm of apple trees. The scenery was a mix of flecks of gold, green and red. It was surreal and again, Cyrus felt his heart swell with pride at knowing that he had part ownership of the slice of heaven. The horn distracted him from his thoughts and looking ahead, he saw a lone figure standing under a tree up ahead. He didn't think much of it until Jonathan started to slow down, finally coming to a halt about 10 feet away. The lone figure had to be the mastermind mystery woman.
The first thing he noticed when his attention centred solely on her, was her legs. They were long and seemed to go on forever because of the pair of shorts that she wore. The sun reflected off them and gave the milky chocolate appearance a glow that made his heart thud wildly in his chest. Slowly, he dragged his eyes up, his gaze slowly licking the curves till they reached the wild mess of hair tied up on her head.
"Hey Sak. There's someone I'd like you to meet." Jonathan said, walking closer with him. The unfamiliarity of the heat that rose up in Cyrus alarmed him, but he casually put his hands into his pockets and made powerful strides towards her
Sakura turned and to even blow away any more expectations that he had, he found himself staring into bright blue eyes that contrasted greatly with her skin. Everything about her made sense to him, yet nothing at the same time. Even as he plastered on a charming smile, her face remained schooled into a straight expression.
"Mr. Axton, this is Sakura Guerro. Sak, this here is Mr. Cyrus Axton, the one I've been telling you about." Jonathan said, gesturing between them
Stretching forth his hand, Cyrus nodded in agreement, wondering just what Jonathan would have said to her about him. "Nice to meet you Miss Guerro." He didn't want to dwell on the fact that her name sounded heavily Spanish, but her first name was downright Japanese. His curiosity about her was quipped, much higher than it had been a few minutes ago.
"Nice to meet you too sir. Please, call me Sakura." Her voice wasn't soft, like the females he was used to being around, but still carried femininity and maturity, making his heart beat faster. Even as she shook his hand, she didn't fidget and even quickly let go. Much sooner than he would have liked. Her hands were not as soft either and had a roughness to them that proved she did a lot more than her looks gave her credit for
But he had learnt early on in life, never judge a book by its cover.
"Sakura. Then please call me Cyrus. Jonathan here may not approve, but I do, so I would like for you to keep to it." At his statement, she nodded, a small smile gracing her face. It wasn't her real smile, he noticed, but a professional smile she most likely gave to everyone she worked with
The smile was already setting boundaries he didn't even know could exist.
"Of course. As long as it's fine with you. Would you like to have a look at what I've installed?"
"Oh, there's no need for that. Mr. Axton and I already covered most, if not all the ground. I believe he's very impressed with your work."
"Is that so?" At her question, she directed her blank eyes but smiling lips to him and Cyrus became amused by the way she kept her eyes levelled, not backing down
"Yes Sakura. I see you know what you're doing and it's nice to know I'm getting my money's worth and that this place is also in good hands." Cyrus complimented, hoping for her eyes to light up in some way, but when they didn't, instead of feeling deflated, he even got more amused and interested in her
"I have the latest of everything here Cyrus." His name rolled of her tongue like succulent honey, dabbling him, exciting him "I assure you as long as I'm here, I'll make sure everything is secure."
He nodded once and looked past her, to the box of her toys situated behind her feet.
"Are you working on something new?" At her confused expression, he gestured towards the box and like a switch, her eyes came alive, a type of fire blazing in them.
"Yes! I've been putting up just a small bit of lowkey cameras here. The orchard is secure, but I'd like to see who is taking what. Now that the crooks can't get in, they'll probably start disguising. I've been meaning to talk to you about that Jonathan."
"Yeah, I'm compiling the list of workers already, plus the men that work with livestock and man the stables, just like you asked. I should have it to you by the end of tomorrow."
"Perfect. Now this here…" Bending over and picking up a small gadget from the box, Cyrus couldn't decide if he liked the view of her bent over or the view of her sparkling blue eyes as she gazed at the small gadget in her hand "It's a camouflage camera. It has about a peripheral vision of about 180 degrees. Could also see anyone within 8 feet and closer. The colours are good because they blend easily with the tree bark you see."
It was like a kid in a candy store. He recognised passion like hers. She was in love with her work and seemed to love tinkering with anything that involved computers. It was the same type of passion he had and it only came alive when he was working. He watched her as she spoke about the strategic situating of the cameras and how she would be able to watch everything with her assistant from her office. Gradually, his mind strayed from the work she spoke of and he found himself wondering how late-night conversations with her could be. Questions popped up in his head; did she like the stars? Did she like white wine or red? What was her favourite colour?
For the first time in a long time, Cyrus was very much curious about a woman. It amazed him that he could still feel the way he felt, after being with women that allowed him to read them like an open book. His relationships hadn't been that many and he had made sure to treat them as wonderful as possible because of the type of man he was. Yet, none had elicited the type of excitement he felt as he looked at her.
"Mr. Axton?" He turned to look at Jonathan, only to find the older man staring at him with a sort of knowing smile. He rose a brow in question "Sakura here said she has to get back to work so she can finish up before dinner time." So, she had finished her small lecture? He almost felt bad his mind got side-tracked.
"Ah, that's not a problem." He responded then directed a smile to her "Again, it was a pleasure meeting you Sakura."
"Likewise, Cyrus. I look forward to working with you." She spoke. With that, she picked up her box and started to walk the opposite direction from which they came. The curve of her back in the fitted tee she wore distracted him momentarily, before he heard Jonathan clear his throat
Shooting a lazy glare at the older man, Cyrus crossed his arms over his shirt, whilst Jonathan smirked. He could recognise what had just awakened in the young man and knew that it meant nothing would stop him from pursuing whatever he was interested in. That was the type of man he knew Cyrus Axton to be and he didn't know if he pitied Sakura or if he pitied Cyrus more.
"She's a tough cookie sir. Pretty little thing, but butts more heads around here than even my late wife did, rest her soul." The pointed statement made him even more curious and he stared off into the direction the dark beauty had walked
"Nothing good ever comes easy Jonathan."
He turned on his heel, his legs taking long strides. Jonathan glanced once more at the direction she walked off to before following behind him.
"Would you like to stay for dinner sir? Tonight's for pork roast special with our signature gravy." Jonathan offered. Although he was startled and put into a state of apprehension, but after spending the past few hours with him, it had shredded down to the respect he had for the man. True, he was still a bit afraid, but he knew more than anyone that Cyrus wasn't as scary as he seemed
"No, thank you, but I'll have to take a rain check. I can't stay too long as I have a meeting to attend to. I'll also send you a list of candidates to fill in the position of the accountant. Whoever is doing it now, fire them."
"But sir-"
"No buts Jonathan. I understand your reluctancy in spending, but one must spend money to make money, not the other way around."
Jonathan sighed once more, shaking his head with a small smile. The burden would ultimately be lifted off his shoulders and he wouldn't have to argue with Tyler any longer about it, since Cyrus had already made up his mind.
"Not a problem. Will we be seeing you again anytime soon?"
Cyrus thought about the wonderful pair of legs as he sat in the mini jeep and smirked slightly. Jonathan probably already knew and he would make no effort to hide it. "There's a high probability."
Her name lingered in his mind all the way back to the house and much longer still, even as he sat in his private jet sipping bourbon. The thought of her left him restless and the gnawing feeling of interest left him wishing he had accepted Jonathan's offer to stay. Maybe if he had, he'd have gotten a chance to know her better. Gotten a chance to watch her eyes sparkle again. One thing for him was certain and it was the fact that he would be seeing Sakura Guerro very soon.
For if he didn't, he was afraid he'd lose his mind.