Chapter Three - Mr. Bear
Theodore Jackson's P.O.V.
"Theo, the school kids are here for the two o'clock class." Ronny, one of my ranch hands, tells me as he opens the door to my office.
"Alright, let's go." I grunt as I turn off my laptop before heading outside.
I hear the excited chatter of the young children before I even step onto the grass. Their eyes are bright with curiosity and can barely contain their excitement as Ronny steps inside the pen. I greet the teacher, Mrs. Smith, like always before turning to address the kids. They listen to every word as my other men come out with equipment for them.
"My name is Theo and I'll be your instructor for the day. Each of you will have a supervisor who will stay next to you and help you through the lesson so no need to worry." I smile reassuringly at the children who are looking at the ponies nervously. "But first, I need you guys to put on this gear and then pick your ponies okay?"
"Yes Theo!" They yell and giggle as they run to the ranch hands who help them into their gear.
One by one the kids step into the pen cautiously and choose a pony. The young horses carry on eating or looking around causally as they're used to people being around them by now. I walk around to see if everyone is good to go but hear an argument break out. Frowning in confusion I look to my right to see the teacher standing by a pony called Ruby which a boy has mounted.
But then I catch sight of the little girl standing with her feet apart in a defiant stance. She has stormy grey eyes and her long brown hair is in a ponytail but I notice the bits of blonde here and there too. Freckles cover her cheeks which are flushed red with anger and her rosy lips are turned up in a pout as she crosses her arms. I smirk at the fire dancing in her eyes and step a little closer to see what's going on.
"Jack! Aria picked this first." Mrs. Smith scowls as she tries to get the boy off the pony.
"I said I want this one!" The boy screams loudly and all but throws a temper tantrum.
But what happens next almost has me choking on air. The little girl called Aria glares at him fiercely before pulling a chunk of grass with mud from the ground and throwing it straight into the boy's face. It hits him square in the mouth and some of it even goes in as he starts spluttering immediately. I'm unable to stop the amused grin from spreading across my lips as she sticks out her tongue and stomps away.
After making sure he's taken care of I turn with a shake of my head and catch some of my ranch hands snickering discreetly. Leaving the teacher behind me I continue my rounds and find that everyone is ready for the lesson.
All except one.
Everyone has a pony except for little Aria. She leans against the fence with her arms still crossed as her boots kick the dirt underneath. I watch the excitement fade from her big grey eyes and her shoulders slump in defeat when she realizes there's no more ponies.
Smiling, I make my way to the stables and guide a stunning white pony from where she was lazily resting. Saddling her up I lead her back towards the pen before stepping inside and calling Aria.
"Is that for me?!" She gasps before rushing over.
"It sure is! This here is Crystal." I crouch down and grab her to put her on the pony.
Aria squeals in joy as I help her get settled and put on her helmet. I chuckle as she grins widely at the boy from earlier while he sulks. Deciding to be her supervisor I start the class and teach them about horse riding. As usual the air fills with noises of surprise, fear, and joy as we lead the ponies around the pen.
When we guide them out into the vast field and have them go faster I laugh as Aria whoops in excitement, completely fearless. She seems to fall in love with Crystal and learns the cues quickly. By the end of the lesson, I almost have a hard time getting her off the pony!
I end the lesson and shake hands with the teacher as cars start driving into the ranch. Numerous parents pick up their children one by one before it's just the teacher and Aria left. Aria won't let go of Crystal, who doesn't seem to mind the affection the little girl is showing her.
I stay near them as Aria pets and kisses the pony before deciding to let her feed Crystal a treat. She cheers and claps every time Crystal takes a carrot or apple from her hand, quickly withdrawing it to her chest before asking me to give her another one.
"Mrs. Smith, can we come back tomorrow?" Aria asks as she takes a bite of the apple before offering it to Crystal.
The teacher chuckles before shaking her head. "We have to finish that art project tomorrow, remember? We'll visit soon though don't worry."
"Mister Theo, my mum is an art teacher!" Aria beams up at me as she tugs on my jeans.
"That's great Aria. Where does she work?" I ask as I kneel beside her.
"In the big school. My mum makes the best pictures. If you want one tell me, I'll get her to paint you a picture of Crystal." She rambles excitedly but the love she has for her mother is obvious.
"That would be nice and I think Crystal would like that too. But only if your mom has time." I chuckle when she nods eagerly.
"I promise! Mum says you can't break promises!" She holds out her pinky finger and I grin as I loop mine with hers.
"I'll hold you to it." I reply and hear Mrs. Smith laugh behind us.
"Mum!" Aria squeals suddenly before pecking my cheek and racing down to the gates.
My eyes widen in surprise at her action before I look up. A woman stands there with strawberry blonde hair and as I move closer I notice that she has the same grey eyes as Aria. Her skin is pale but flawless and she has subtle curves in all the right places. She seems almost as tall as me but I'd have to stand next to her to be sure.
Beautiful, I think to myself as I watch her kneel so that Aria can run into her arms. Her bottom lip is fuller than the top and they stretch into a breath-taking smile as she hugs her daughter before lifting her up in a twirl. I hear her laugh and it's the sweetest sound. Never have I been drawn to a woman like this before.
Shit...she must be married, I think to myself in disappointment as I watch them walk out of the gates with Mrs. Smith's car leaving after them. Sighing I shake my head as if to get the image of her out of my mind before focusing on helping the guys. Picking up some gear I start making my way back to the equipment shed. Forget about it, Theo. There's no way a woman as stunning as her isn't taken, I think to myself.
***
Charlotte Davidson's P.O.V.
"Hey baby, how was your horse-riding class? Did you have fun?" I ask Aria as we make our way back home.
"It was so cool mum! Mrs. Smith said we'll be back soon and I can't wait!" She exclaims in excitement as she walks backwards. "I got a pony and her name is Crystal. She's so pretty and fast too! You need to see her!"
I chuckle at her rambling as I follow her. "Well, I hope someday soon I'll get to meet her. I'm glad you had fun."
"Did you see the man who was in charge of the ponies?" She stops for me to catch up to her. "He's my new friend!"
"Is he now?" I smile in amusement as she skips ahead.
"He's like Bear." She refers to the big teddy bear I got her when we moved here. She couldn't decide on a name for the stuffed animal so now we call him by what he is. "I had picked my pony but stupid Jack got on it first. Mister Theo got Crystal specially for me ha!"
My brows furrow when she all but cackles evilly like she's seen in her cartoons. "Ari...you didn't do anything bad to Jack right?"
She stops in her tracks before continuing forward. "Nope."
"Aria..." I call sternly and hear her sigh dramatically in response. "I better not get a call from your teacher."
"You won't." She smiles up at me innocently as we reach our home.
"You're going to be the death of me someday." I mutter under my breath as we step inside and she races into her bedroom to change. "Chicken burgers or chicken wraps for dinner?"
"Both!" She yells back which has my lips quirking in amusement.
"One!"
"No! I'm so hungry!" She whines as she walks back into the kitchen in her pajamas.
"You won't be able to finish both Aria." I sigh as I take out the ingredients.
"Five pounds – oops – five dollars I can."
"I really don't encourage your sudden gambling addiction." I frown as she goes to turn on the television.
"Fine...I'll uh...finish my homework early on Friday."
"Deal." I respond quickly and chuckle when she turns to me with an excited smile.
As usual she helps me with the cooking before becoming bored. Within ten minutes she's glued to the television while trying to complete her homework midway. I already know I'm going to have to sit her down later and re-do it all.
We have dinner and I'm grinning like a maniac when I see that she can't finish her food. Only for my jaw to drop a few minutes later when she's eaten everything and convincing me to let her have chocolate.
"I deserve it because I finished all my food." She states matter-of-factly with crossed arms.
"Only one though."
I watch her smile widely before running to the cabinet we stash all the sweets and chocolate in. She picks out her favorite before going back to the television. I clear up and check her homework before finally getting her into bed.
"I need a nice, long bath." I murmur to myself after closing her door before going to my room.
I check my schedule and groan in disappointment at the nine a.m. start tomorrow. The only thing that slightly brightens up my mood is that I know exactly where to go this time. Getting the bath ready I grab my pajamas from my room as well as a book before sinking into the bubbles.
"Mum!" Aria calls suddenly and I feel like crying at what could've been a relaxing, quiet night.
Maybe tomorrow will be better.
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