The next day brought rays of sunshine. The trees were sprayed with gold, the whole orchard wrapped in a hale of sunlight that made everyone forget the storm that had raged almost all day the day before. There was the usual hustle and bustle of the morning workers, men carrying out their morning activities with vigour, already working up a sweat. Even as Sakura walked Dawn down to the stables, she was so interested in how much the workers put in, day after day. To them, it was a sort of culture, and if she weren't obsessed with what she did, she wouldn't understand it.
"Morning miss." She smiled at the young boy that was walking towards her
"Good morning Glen. How are you doing today?" she asked him, watching as he smiled brightly at her before taking the reins from her grasp
"I'm doing pretty good and you miss? Dawn's looking mighty healthy. She loves being with you."
"She's a big teddy bear is what she is. I love being with her too." As she spoke, she proudly ran her fingers through the horse's mane, loving how they felt against her fingers.
Glen chuckled, leading them to an empty spot in the stable. The other horses were already here; from the stubborn Rex to the shy Marcy, each and every horse prepped and ready for the day ahead. They usually didn't gather as much, only on days like this when the doctor would come in and do health checks on them, as well as administer some injections in case it was needed. All the animals kept were considered to a large family, that needed to be taken care of properly and Glen Parker was one person the Robinson's entrusted with that task wholeheartedly. He was one of the few people that she bothered to give a real smile each time she saw him.
He was a young teenager whose dad worked on the ranch as well. He had been tending to the horses and the rest of the animals since he was 6 and had been able to fully take over from his dad at the age of 15. He was a boy with green wide curious eyes and a dream to become a vet. His love for animals and his sheer zeal to not limit care was the main reason why she trusted him so much with Dawn. Although she and Dawn had barely spent as much time as she and Glen had, she took the horse as her own personal baby, much more preferable to sports cars and big trucks. So, her need for someone competent to take care of her baby was justified.
"What time should I be back for her?" Sakura asked, knowing well she had work to do and had to fix it into her schedule
"Probably around 1 pm or 2 pm. Do you think you'll be able to come for her yourself? I could have someone bring her over or even bring her over myself. That's if you'd like?" Glen offered, hanging the reins he had taken off on the wall
"That would be great. I have to go into town today and I'm not sure when I'll be back. Candace should be around whenever you want to drop her off." His cheeks heated up noticeably and she giggled "Still have a crush on her I see?"
His nervous laughter was enough confirmation for her. It was kind of cute how he had a sort of infatuation with her friend, to which the latter was oblivious to. Sakura only hoped it wouldn't be those kinds of teenage crushes that made or broke him. She hoped it would just be passing, just like a phase.
"Your secret is safe with me, don't worry." She said honestly then turned to leave "I'll see you later."
She made sure to pat Dawn affectionately before leaving. To save time, she had gotten dressed and had some coffee so she wouldn't have to go back to her cabin again. The only thing she dreaded was walking into the Robinson household and requesting the keys to one of their pick-ups. The main reason for that was already standing in front of the house, smiling the way he usually did. The closer she got, the more irritation seemed to build inside her and she wondered what exactly she'd have done to him by now if he wasn't Jonathan's son.
"Hey, Sak." She absolutely hated the way he fondly used her nickname. To her, she felt it probably gave him a sense of familiarity that she would continue to reject and continue to have a lack of positive interest in. "You look very beautiful this morning. Is that a new perfume?"
"Good morning Tyler" Sakura said in response, pasting on the professional smile that she used to cover up everything she felt inside. The one the world was used to "No. I don't wear perfume."
"Want us to get some together while in town? I mean, if it's not too much of trouble for you. I'll tag along, be quiet while you work then we can stopover at one of the stores."
This was what she didn't like. Her movements to town were never personal as she had most of what she needed and didn't really like the intimate association a town like Sunny Hill provided. It encouraged gossip and she was already a topic of interest just because of how she looked. Given this, Jonathan provided a truck for her whenever she wanted to move into town, but the only obstacle was the person that always held on to the keys; Tyler. She was also aware of how he felt about her, but wouldn't encourage it. Tyler was manipulative, a spoilt brat, condescending and too flirtatious, and those were the mild faults he had. There were much more laid hidden underneath. It always took a long amount of time for her to wiggle out of him wanting to escort her to the town and Jonathan's intervention always aided. This time around, however, she knew she could not keep relying on him and would have to do it on her own.
"That won't be necessary. My allergies won't let me use perfumes but thank you. Do you have the keys with you now?"
"Oh yeah, I do." His hand raised and jiggled the keys around his forefinger "I decided to come wait up here since I knew you'd be here soon." That was what he said, but she knew it was because he could easily hop into the truck with her without anyone to stop him
"Wonderful." Sakura wondered if he heard the sarcasm in her voice as it was clearer than she intended, but he only grinned at her, his hair already sticking to his sweaty forehead. There was the sudden thought of going into the house and going to meet Jonathan, but that would mean walking past Tyler and she couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't throw a punch if he tried touching her.
"Aren't you ready to go yet?" he asked her
She took a deep breath before answering "How do I say this? I want to go alone. No stops at any other place, neither do I want to buy anything for myself. I would really appreciate you don't provoke me this morning and just gave me the keys so I can go." The professional smile stayed on her face, trying to cover up the growing aggression
"Come on now Sak-"
"Please don't call me that. Thank you. The keys, Tyler."
"Why do you have to be such a stickler all the time? I'm just trying to treat you right and make sure you get everything you want." He made the sudden move forward, definitely to touch her but she stepped back, a glare replacing her faux expression, directed at him without restraint
"You of all people know I'm not interested. I'm trying my very best to be polite, given that you are Jonathan's son, but if you lay your hands on me, I won't think twice about doing what I need to do. Give me the damn keys."
Sakura could see the steam coming out of his ears at his point. He was already showing signs of throwing a tantrum, which wouldn't end well. Tyler of all people didn't like to hear the word 'No'. Rejection was something he never took well because of the massive ego he had as well as his irritatingly deep sense of entitlement. His eyes glowed with anger and he was about to stomp towards her when a voice rang between them.
"Trouble this early morning. Tyler, haven't you heard to never disturb a woman this early in the morning?" Her blue eyes found Cyrus walking down the porch steps and she didn't know if she was relieved or annoyed at seeing him again
He took strong deliberate steps, standing between her and Tyler. To her, he directed the smirk she had started to recognize and to Tyler, a blank face. "Don't worry about the keys. Miss Guerro will be joining me to go to town."
"What?!" the rage was evident in Tyler's response "You can't just-!"
"It makes no sense going separately and I owe her for yesterday." He turned to her, smiling genuinely at her, catching her off-guard "Unless she doesn't want to?"
The question put her between a rock and the ocean. Both men didn't do anything great for her mood whenever she within a few feet from them. But she had come to realize that unlike Tyler, Cyrus was much more of a man and would give her peace if she asked. Despite the suspicious smirk that he had directed at the camera, she knew that he was a much better choice.
Anytime.
Any day.
"I would really like that Mr Axton."
"Great!" Cyrus responded, his hand positioning on her waist as he led her away from the fuming Tyler "My car is this way. Don't worry, I won't come in-between you and your activities."
"Thank you." She mumbled
As they walked together, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she had started something she might not be able to finish.