When The Runway Went South

by Lois Kasznia

  "I tried not to," protested Ally. "I've decided to get a security system. What if those kids come back? I mean I'm glad I have Tank, but Kat, they just hopped over the fence. I thought being out in the middle of nowhere, I'd be safe, but I was wrong."

  "Why don't I have any trouble? People leave their cars and houses unlocked all the time. I swear, Ally. Trouble follows you."

  "I'm going to change that misconception," stated Ally. "Just you watch."

  "Ally, Ally, Ally." Kat shook her head. "Now back to the business, what do you have planned?"

  "Oh, Kat, I thought about this last night. What have you done for marketing? How are you getting business? What's your plan?" Ally rattled off the questions.

  "I don't have a plan," said Kat confused. "It all started with the other wives. If their families came down to stay, they called me to cook for them. I don't charge them that much, but more and more people are learning about me."

  "What about birthday parties?" Again, Ally began making notes.

  "Well, no. I haven't done any of those." Kat looked guilty.

  "Why don't we do this," suggested Ally gently. "Let's take inventory of where we want to go with this. What can we do? What do we need to do what we want? What markets do we want to target?"

  "This sounds like too much work." Kat looked discouraged. "All I wanted to do is cook for people."

  "You can do that. Are you willing to go full-time or do you just want to do this part-time?" Ally gently prodded Kat.

  "Let's shoot for full time. Tom isn't due back for another nine months and the money is nice."

  "Tell you what; I'll put together a plan and I'll show it to you so you can at least have a base line. The most important thing to do right now is to advertise, print out some brochures and business cards. It would be a great idea to join the local Chamber of Commerce and introduce the business to them. We could even start by catering a small luncheon or breakfast for their meeting. We need to set prices, too. You have to at least cover the cost of the food as well as your time and effort, but be reasonable. Kat, there's so much to do. I can't wait to get started."

  "When did you get so smart?" Kat looked at her younger sister in appreciation.

  "It's not the years, it's the mileage," said Ally, shaking her head and laughing.

  Kat left around three and Ally had so much on her mind she couldn't think straight. With the business in the forefront, Ally had to accomplish all the chores that come along with moving like, calling the security companies, taking her car in for a state inspection, get a new drivers license and register Tank. As a matter of fact, she didn't even know what day garbage pickup occurred and would they take her boxes? All of these mundane chores she wouldn't be facing if she still lived in New York. Welcome to her new life. She sighed and decided to take advantage of the warm, sunny weather. Ally walked by the pool and stuck her hand in the water. The water felt warm to the touch and then Ally remembered the brochure's description boasting of a heated pool. She could go skinny dipping at night if she wanted to; then maybe not. Not with Caleb being able to look over her fence at anytime. She glanced into the pasture to find an older, but still regal looking horse staring at her. As the animal moved closer, Ally noticed it was a mare.

  "My, aren't you a pretty lady?" asked Ally as she walked cautiously to the fence. The mare whinnied to her as Ally approached. She touched the muzzle of the mare. The mare’s large eyes large reminded Ally of warm hot chocolate. Her mane and tail were black and her coat shimmered of a beautiful chestnut brown. She let Ally stroke her and muzzled Ally's hand looking for something to eat. "Your dad would be upset if I gave you anything, especially after what happened today." The mare shook her head up and down and ambled away, leaving Ally behind. Ally turned on her heel to walk away when two cattle came to the fence to stare at her.

  "Who are you?" Ally stared at the cattle, amazed at how big they looked up close. Those horns looked like they could do some major damage. The cattle gazed at Ally while munching on some hay, as if deciding what to do with her. They then reached up and started eating the leaves off the tree in Ally's back yard. "I don't know if you're supposed to do that," she warned. A good question for Caleb, since technically the tree stood on her property. Caleb. Ally tried looking for his house, but couldn't see it from here, being well hidden by the trees. Regretfully, she went inside.

  ****

  "Mission statement," typed Ally sitting at her laptop. "To provide high quality food and exceptional service at reasonable prices." She sighed and thought some more. "I'll let Kat name the company. I don't care what it's called. Okay, then. Services provided; breakfasts, lunches, dinners and parties. Selection of food? Recipes? I don't know what Kat makes." Ally took a yellow sticky and jotted down her question. "Okay next, brochures and business cards. Is there a local company to make some up for us?" Another yellow sticky went on the page. "Where does Kat shop?" Ally stuck yet another yellow sticky on the report. "Equipment? Gas allowance? Help?" Ally sighed. She poured herself a glass of wine and Tank followed her faithfully. She looked at the clock, surprised at the late hour. Ally yawned because of lack of sleep due to that damned rooster. He better not do that crow thing again. She needed her sleep, because of her modeling contract. No dark circles underneath her eyes; Henri would have a fit. Tank barked at her, which startled Ally.

  "What boy? Gosh, I haven't fed you or me." Ally shuffled to the pantry and prepared Tank's dinner. She opened the fridge to see what her choice of food for dinner. Left over pizza? No, she'd bloat up from that. She decided on a veggie omelet with wheat bread. She pulled out the pans to prepare dinner and Tank let her know he had to go out. Ally turned on the outside lights in the back and let him out. Tank ran and did his business and barked to come in. While the door opened, she heard voices in the distance which sounded like kids yelling. Had those kids come back again? She left the lights on and locked the door. A trickle of fear went down her spine. She went to her bedroom and retrieved her pistol in case she needed it. She debated whether or not she should call Caleb. No, she could handle this. Feeling stronger, she went outside and fired three shots up in the air to scare anyone away. Minutes passed and her cell phone rang.

  "Ally, what the hell is going on?" barked Caleb. "Why did you shoot off your piece?"

  "Those kids are back, Caleb. I wanted to scare them away. Where are you that you could hear the shots?"

  "Right behind your house because I heard those kids, too, and the police are on their way. Jeb's got his gun trained on them."

  "Figures." Ally felt foolish.

  "Just stay put. I'll stop by when they're done here."

  "No, it's okay, really. I've bothered you enough."

  "Have a drink waiting for me when I get there."

  Ally prepared Caleb's drink and then ducked inside the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and figured she at least looked presentable in her jeans and a sweater. Ally ran a comb through her tangled mess of blond curls and went back into the kitchen to wait for Caleb..

  When Ally answered the door, the sight of Caleb struck her through the heart. He made her warm and tingly and he hadn't really touched her. Ally had to constantly remind herself this man would not break her vow of celibacy. She mentally shook her head and greeted Caleb with a smile. "Hey."

  "Hey, you," Caleb smiled lazily at Ally. "It sure is exciting having you for a neighbor. I thought you couldn't top yesterday, but you did."

  "As I said, my life is never boring," said Ally, shaking her head. "What happened?" She handed him his drink and they sat down at the kitchen table. Tank rested his head on Caleb's feet, as if he belonged there.

  "Five boys from the next town over have been trespassing on my property for the last month. Jeb said he's been seeing beer cans in the fields and thought someone had been dumping their trash. Still don't know what triggered them to poison the cattle, but they're denying it. The good news is they're in custody, so they won't be bothering us for a while."

  "What about
your animals?"

  "Had to put at least eight of them down." Caleb looked sick and Ally felt sorry for him.

  "Now, the police could charge you for shooting off your gun, but I talked them out of it."

  "Why? I'm only trying to protect myself." Ally answered.

  "Just be more careful in the future." Caleb stared at Ally and Ally didn't break the eye contact. "Besides this and firing random shots, what else did you do today?"

  "My day went downhill from there," laughed Ally. "You see, I'm trying to help Kat with her catering business. She's a great cook, but when it comes to business, she gets kind of lost. So, I tried to organize things for her and I ended up with more questions than answers." Ally showed Caleb her attempt.

  "What do you know about running a business?" asked Caleb, somewhat surprised at Ally's determination.

  "I'm a model. I know what goes on," said Ally defensively. Caleb seemed to have a second sense zeroing in on her insecurities.

  "Didn't you have an agent?"

  "Yes, but I still understand about negotiations. The only thing I would need help with is taxes and finances. I want to join the Chamber of Commerce in order to get started. I want to cater a breakfast or lunch for them once we get up and running."

  "You're one ambitious person." He smiled at Ally's enthusiasm. "You know who the president of the Chamber of Commerce is?" Caleb sat up straight and cleared his throat as if to make a speech.

  "You're the president?" Ally paled.. Would he still help her?

  "We have special help for start-up businesses. You need to attend one of our seminars."

  "Sure." Ally shrugged her shoulders.

  "It's on our website." Caleb poured another drink. "What else?" He looked at Ally, knowing something else bothered her.

  "Um. Trash pickup?" Ally looked at the bottle of whiskey, which had been full when she moved down here. Only a half remained.

  "City Hall is right down here on Main Street. They'll have all of that information. Do you know about your sprinkler system?"

  "I have a sprinkler system?" Ally laughed. "I probably have this 'deer in the headlights' look on my face. No. I don't even know where it's at. I know where the fuse box is."

  "Here in Texas, you need to keep the foundation of your house wet or else it will crack. There are city ordinances where you can only run it at certain times. Y'all need to have someone come out and check all the sprinkler heads to make sure they're working. Let's see if we can find it." Caleb stood up. "Are you coming?" Caleb felt sorry for Ally in a way. She had just jumped into this move without even thinking. How could she survive? He watched as all five foot nine of her stood next to him. She smelled good enough to eat and those legs; Caleb tried hard to suppress an inward groan. Also, not to mention those luscious lips and wary blue eyes. X-rated thoughts kept crossing his mind and he had to concentrate not to act upon them. Ally seemed to cast a spell around him and he didn't want to be roped in. Caleb had promised himself not to come over to see her and now look where he had landed.

  "Here it is." They had reached the garage and Caleb wandered over to a gray box on the wall. "Let's see what it's set on." He flipped open the lid and peered into the digital display. "It’s like a clock," he explained. "Here's where you set the time and day when you want the water to go off. Also, you can set how long it will go for. Right now, it's set for Monday, Wednesday and Friday to go off at five in the morning. It will run for ten minutes."

  "Um," Ally swallowed nervously. "Is there someone I can hire to do this?"

  "Sure, but you need to know about it. I can give you the name of the landscaper business I use. They're the best in the area."

  "Okay," said Ally in a small voice. "I'm going to need a lot of numbers. I'd start with plumbing, heating, electrical. You name it."

  "Isn't it fun owning a house?" Caleb's eyes danced with amusement.

  "Yes." Ally brought herself up in determination. "Nothing I can't handle once I learn it."

  "Go get 'em, tiger." Caleb laughed and they walked back into the house. "I'll finish my drink and be on my way." He picked up the almost empty bottle and shrugged. "I near cleaned you out of some good whisky. By the way, liquor stores aren't open around here on Sunday. I'll bring some by on Monday."

  "That's okay, Caleb. It's on the house." Ally smiled at him as she leaned against the counter. "Where else would I get a good lesson on my sprinkler system?"

  "You see, I'm not cheap." Caleb walked up to Ally and gently cupped her chin into his hand. "Tomorrow is Sunday, a day of rest. You think you can stay out of trouble for one day?"

  "I can't promise anything," murmured Ally lost in Caleb's green eyes. The way he touched her, made Ally want to melt into him. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes; each torn about what to do. Ally could tell he wanted to kiss her and she wanted him to, but no. She had to think of him as off-limits. They had only known each other for a total of three days. She stepped back, breaking the moment.

  "I've taken up enough of your time today." She watched him slowly withdraw.

  "Good night, Ally," Caleb whispered. He turned and headed for the door without looking at her. If he did, he knew he would turn around and take her there on the spot.

  ****

  "Kat? What are we doing today? Are you coming over?" The rooster had awakened Ally again.

  "Ally, its Sunday. A day of rest," moaned Kat as she turned over and looked at the time. "It's only eight in the morning. You know I don't do mornings."

  "Is it that late? I couldn't sleep last night and I've been up since the crack of dawn."

  "Now what happened?" Kat yawned and sat up in her bed.

  "Those kids came back and Caleb caught them."

  "Now, how stupid it is of them to come back?"Kat mumbled."Did this include a squad car?" Ally had Kat's full attention.

  "Two squad cars came, actually. When I let Tank out, I heard them out there and I got scared. I fired three shots into the air. Caleb told me not to do that again."

  "You've got a gun? Ally, I never knew that. When did you get it? Do Mom and Dad know about it?"

  "I lived in New York, remember? I even took classes in Berks county in Pennsylvania at the Cabela's there. I don't think I let it slip into any conversations with the parents."

  "Speaking of parents, they want to know why you haven't called them."

  "Like I've had time?" Ally knew she had to call soon if she didn't want to be disowned by her own parents.

  "Today is as good of time as any. They want to see your house."

  "But it's not ready yet. Besides, you know Dad. He's going to want to check out everything in the house. Last night, Caleb tried to explain the sprinkler system to me. He totally lost me."

  "Caleb came over again last night?" Kat sounded suspicious. "Ally, you're not taking advantage of him, are you?"

  "Not at all. He just came over to tell me why I had two squad cars in my back yard. Then, he must have felt sorry for me because he gave me a tip on things I have to watch out for as a home owner." Ally decided not to mention to Kat what almost happened last night, either. No way. The rooster had not been the only thing keeping her awake. Intense sexual images of Caleb making love to her Images she shouldn't even be thinking about. Why did Caleb have to be so damn good looking?

  "Oh. You know Dad will help you when he comes. He'll be insulted if he can't."

  "I know, I know," said Ally as she glanced out the kitchen window into Caleb's pasture. At least twenty steer were grazing by the fence making a tranquil scene, with no Caleb in sight. "I'll get at least one room together. Where am I in proximity to a good mall?"

  "Now, you're speaking my language," said Kat emphatically. "You stay put and I'll come over around eleven. We'll go out to lunch and I'll show you around."

  "I'll be here." Ally hung up with Kat and then called her parents. After her parents played the guilt card about taking Ally so long to call, they agreed they would come up next weekend to help. As Ally hung up the phone, she once agai
n looked out the window and saw Caleb riding by. He didn't look in her direction for which Ally said her thanks to God so she just admired him from afar. Sighing she turned away from the window and tried to get organized.

  "Okay, list number one," muttered Ally as she sat at the kitchen table rechecking her original list. "Security system." Jotting down the names and numbers of two competitors, Ally moved on. "Go to city hall after I find out where it is. Next, find out where the car dealer is to get an inspection." Car dealer, what about her license? She jotted it down for another place to look up online. "Plumber, electrician, sprinkler, pool, landscaping. No wait, Caleb said he'd give her his." Caleb. Why couldn't she stop thinking of him? "Stop it," Ally scolded herself. "Today, bedroom set for at least one of the bedrooms and towels for the bathroom." She chewed on the top of her pen and noticed she had no patio furniture. "Patio furniture, Kat is going to kill me for dragging her everywhere." She sighed and looked out the window again hoping to see Caleb. Darn, no sign of him. Maybe she should just put curtains up there instead of the plantation blinds in order to keep her mind off of him. She added to her list and tore it off the pad. Kat would be here soon and she still had to get dressed. Ally walked to her bedroom, purposely not looking out the window.