by Lois Kasznia
Chapter Seven
Caleb woke up late cursing the fact he had overslept. He had a lot to do with the cattle today and Jeb had been patient so far, but that could change. He blamed it all on Ally. The dreams he had about her were unsettling because they seemed so real. He had even almost kissed her last night, standing against the kitchen counter looking so damn vulnerable. No, she didn't need any make up to show off those lips of hers. Why did she have to be his neighbor? He could've done well without ever meeting her, but no. She shows up and knocks his socks off. Caleb threw on a shirt and struggled into his jeans and boots. Grabbing a mug of coffee that Jeb's wife, Gracie, had made for him, he headed to the barn to meet up with Jeb who nursed one as well.
"You stayed kind of late at Ally's house." Jeb looked at Caleb for confirmation.
"Woman should never have moved in. She has no clue what it takes to run a house. Who's going to take care of her? She didn't even know about the sprinkler system. God only knows what she's going to do with a heater and furnace."
"She'll learn. She's pretty enough to get by." Jeb stared at Caleb over his coffee cup. "You sweet on her?"
"Hell, no. I don't even want to talk about her. We've got a lot of work to do this morning." Caleb ended the conversation and rode out onto the pasture. When they rode by Ally's house he purposely didn't look in her direction. He and Jeb moved the herd away from the tainted pasture, putting up fences so the animals could not get back in. Jeb had hired some additional helpers to clean up the pastures and all the men worked silently side by side. Occasionally, Caleb would sneak a glance towards Ally's house just to check up on her. Was he sweet on her? No way. Caleb threw himself into his work to clear any thoughts of Ally.
They stopped for lunch, which Gracie had carefully packed away for the men. Caleb didn't know what he would do without Jeb and Gracie. They had been with him as long as he could remember and were that much part of his family. Caleb's father had hired them when Caleb's mother had passed away and they stayed on. After Caleb's father's death, Jeb had volunteered to leave, but Caleb would have no part of it. In addition to Jeb and Gracie living in the house, Caleb included his cousin, Marcus, an educationally challenged man, but a good worker around the farm. Caleb smiled at them, proud of his crew. “Jeb, how much more work needs to be done?" asked Caleb as he took another bite of his sandwich.
"We're pretty much done here," answered Jeb. "We need to call Fosters to replace the cattle we lost. I heard he's got some good ones."
"We can go tomorrow," said Caleb. "If you don't need me, I'm going to take a ride back and work on the finances."
"Y'all go on ahead," answered Jeb. "I'll wrap it up here."
"Thanks." Caleb got up on his horse and started to trot back to the barn. He couldn't help himself and he took a glance at Ally's house and saw Kat's car in the driveway. He wondered what those two were up to. He shook his head. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her?
At the barn, Caleb dismounted and led his horse, Thor, to the stall where he took pains in brushing him down. Thor had been bred an Arabian stallion, which Caleb had purchased one year ago and trained himself. The two had been inseparable and only Caleb could ride him. Rex, his Australian Shepherd, waited patiently as Caleb groomed Thor. Satisfied, Caleb went inside to his home office along with Rex and booted up the laptop. He opened the Excel spreadsheet to look over his finances to see what he could afford, but his mind wandered in another direction. He went to Google and keyed in Ally's name. He spent the rest of the afternoon reading about her and looking at her various pictures. She had been romantically linked with the likes of Matt Damon, Justin Timberlake and many others. Caleb still couldn't understand why she would give up her career for a place like Argyle, Texas, ranch country. Caleb had dated some very pretty women, but none of them had been famous like Ally. Ah, he found a tidbit he didn't know about her. She had spent thirteen years in Indiana and she had a master's degree in fashion from Marist College in New York, which impressed Caleb. He went back to his finances, trying to get Ally out of his mind. His cell phone rang and he anxiously looked at it hoping for Ally. No. He took the call, anyway, and spoke to his best friend.
"Joe, what's up?" Caleb stood up as he spoke.
"The guys and I are going to the bar, y'all want to come along?"
"I'll be there. What time?"
"Now sounds good."
"Isn't it too early?" Caleb looked at his watch, not realizing how the time had slipped away. Damn. He had spent hours looking at pictures of Ally. He shook his head in disbelief. "I'm leaving now," he told Joe.
Caleb turned off his laptop, changed clothes, combed his hair, sprayed on some cologne and headed out the door. He took the scenic route, the one which went by Ally's house on his way to the bar. He noticed Kat's car missing which meant Ally must be home alone. Interesting.
He got to the bar in record time and met up with his friends. After ordering a round, Joe settled into his chair and gave Caleb a knowing glance.
"I heard y'all got a new neighbor." Joe had a snug look on his face.
"Yup." Caleb didn't want to talk about it.
"I heard she's a famous model."
"I didn't know." Caleb sipped his whiskey.
"Y'all want to go over there and check her out?"
"Nope." Caleb did not bite into this conversation.
"Y'all are no fun at all. How about Josh and I go over to your place and we'll introduce ourselves to her. Man, oh man, she is hot."
"Told y'all enough, I don't have time for women and I'm not going to waste my time."
"You're a lying SOB. You've met her. I know y'all, Caleb."
"I met her just enough to tell her to leave me alone and to stay off my land."
Joe pushed his cowboy hat off of his head. "I'll give her a friendly welcome. Dottie said she's real nice."
"Leave me out of it." Caleb took another sip of his whiskey.
"You're sore about your animals. Lucas said she helped you by taking those boys' pictures," Joe bated Caleb.
"Look, if this is all you want to talk about, I'm leaving. This town is too small and everyone knows everyone's business. Butt out." Caleb swallowed the rest of his drink and stood up to leave.
"Easy, Caleb, chill." Joe knew he had pushed Caleb too far. "This is a safe subject, where are you going to get some animals?"
"Fosters, of course." Another drink appeared in front of Caleb. He started to relax until he watched as two women came into the pub, Kat and Ally. Of all the places in Texas, why did they have to come here?
Joe noticed Caleb's expression and turned around to look at what Caleb pretended to avoid. "That's her, isn't it? Whoa, baby. Check out those legs." He turned back around to Caleb. "Well, aren't you gonna introduce us?"
Kat and Ally waited to be seated and that's when they noticed Caleb and his friends. Ally wished she had taken more time with her appearance this morning. She had on no makeup and had her hair tucked into a baseball cap. She prayed Caleb wouldn't see her and she didn't like the way his friend looked at her.
"Look, Ally, there's Caleb," Kat whispered in her ear. "Should we say something to him?"
"No." Ally didn't turn around. "I'll pretend I don't see him. Kat, he probably thinks I'm following him."
"Why do you think that? Ally, is there something you're not telling me?" Kat studied her little sister.
"No. Yes, no. Forget it. Let's just order." She scanned the menu and looked up at Kat. "There's nothing to eat. Everything is fried? I don't eat fried food."
"Try the veggie tamales. They're out of this world. Uh-oh. His friend is coming over here. Play nice." Kat plastered a smile on her face.
"Damn," said Ally under her breath.
"Caleb isn't, though. He looks pretty ticked off at his friend."
"Hello, ladies." Joe glanced at Kat but his attention remained focused on Ally. "Y'all new in town?"
"I'm not, but my sister is," answered Kat as she telepathically willed Ally not to be rude. Ally igno
red her..
"Well then, where y'all from?" asked Joe, his attention still riveted on Ally.
"Joe, these ladies are trying to eat their dinner. Stop pestering them." Caleb had come up behind Joe. He tipped his hat at Kat and Ally.
"Sorry, ma'am, when all y'all are done, why not join us for some drinks?" asked Joe.
"We'll take a rain check," said Kat gracefully.
"Suit yourselves. By the way, my name is Joe. I'm a friend of Caleb here. Y'all let me know if he pesters you." Joe smiled at Caleb who glared back at him.
"I don't want to give him a bad reputation, but he's been a great help," said Ally graciously as she looked at Caleb with a smile. Caleb cracked a small smile at the compliment.
Neither Kat nor Joe missed the electricity between Caleb and Ally. Kat once again studied her sister carefully.
"Enjoy your dinner. Come on, Joe." They went back to the bar leaving Kat and Ally alone.
"What's going on with you two?" asked Kat. "You like him, don't you?"
"How can I like him? I've only known him for four days." Ally pulled out the brochures she and Kat were supposed to look through. "Here, get busy. What do you think Mom and Dad would like?"
"Ally, be careful. Please?"
"When did you know you were in love with Tom?" Ally looked up at her sister.
"When we first met at…oh, I see what you're getting at." Kat looked defeated. "Do as I say, not as I do."
"Point taken, now, which of these do you like?" Ally shoved the brochures in front of Kat while she munched on her dinner and every once in a while sneaked a look at the bar. Caleb totally ignored her, which she appreciated.
"I like this comforter set and then you can paint the room with a lighter color. Also, why don't you bring the theme into the bathroom? Look at these towels. Ally, this is so much fun."
"I've never painted before," murmured Ally. "Good Lord, me with a paintbrush?" She giggled at the thought.
"I love to paint, but I have my business to run. Wait a minute. One of the other wives in my neighborhood paints. I'll call her tomorrow?"
"Perfect. See if she can do it before the parents arrive." The waitress handed Ally the bill as they were speaking. Ally counted out the money and left a nice tip. "Ready? I've got a big day planned for tomorrow."
"Sure, let's go." Kat stood up and looked at where Joe and Caleb were in a serious game of darts. "Should we say something to them?"
"No, they're busy. I don't think they will mind." Ally wanted to get out of there.
"There they go," said Joe as he watched Ally and Kat's retreat from the reflection of the jukebox. "They didn't even say goodbye."
"I didn't expect them to. They had personal business they were discussing until y'all rudely interrupted them."
"You've got a crush on her. I know you, Caleb." Joe grinned.
"You're whacked. Why do you think she moved here in the first place? To get away from guys like you who want to paw at her all the time."
"And when did you find this out?" Joe's smile spread into a cocky grin.
"Right before she moved in when I called her to let her know the rules of the neighborhood, so we were on the same page." Caleb threw his last dart. "Looks like I won."
"Dang, Caleb. The rules of the neighborhood? You sound like some kind of tyrant." Joe looked amazed at Caleb's bluntness.
"I am not. Those folks who had the house before her were the worst neighbors ever. I wasn't going to put up with that again. I'm leaving. I got a shit load of work to do tomorrow and I can't be having a hangover."
"Me too." Joe swallowed the last of his drink and they walked out to the parking lot together. "Keep in touch, bro."
"Yup." Caleb crawled into his truck and started home. "I gotta crush on Ally? No way." He then found himself driving past her house and he didn't see Kat's car, meaning one thing; Ally was alone by herself. Should he stop? He wrestled with his emotions and finally gave in. Caleb got out of the truck and walked up to Ally's front door. He hesitated a moment and then rang the doorbell.
Ally appeared seconds later in what looked like her pajamas, since they had pictures of dogs on them. Not something you would expect a super model to wear. Her hair had been neatly brushed and once again wore no makeup, making her appear younger and almost vulnerable. "Caleb." She smiled at him shyly. "You caught me getting ready for bed.”
"Isn't it a little early for that?" Caleb entered the house, but stood in place.
"I've got a lot to do tomorrow." Their eyes never left one another's.
"Look," said Caleb breaking the moment. “I just want to apologize for my friend's behavior. He acted out of line."
"Thanks. As much as I don't like it, I've become accustomed to people doing that to me." Ally rolled her eyes.
"Well, I don't like it. Why can't they leave you alone?"
"I thought it would cool off when I moved here." Ally crossed her arms over her chest.
"So, what were you talking about over dinner? You had catalogs." Caleb leaned up against the wall, with his hands in his pockets.
"This morning, I called my parents to invite them to see the house. They live in Houston and want to come up here next weekend to see me. As you can see, I don't have much furniture, so Kat took me shopping today and I bought a bedroom set. It's being delivered tomorrow. "Ally smiled. "I'm daddy's little girl. He's going to want to do everything for me like hang pictures, talk about the fuse box and maybe even the sprinkler system." Ally smiled again at Caleb.
"Aren't you glad I explained it? Now you can impress him. Daddy's little girl?" Caleb flirted back at her. "I bet you were spoiled rotten."
"Maybe a little, but not that much. Kat is more my mom's favorite, not me, I mean don't get me wrong. We do get along, but we have our moments."
"How long are they staying?" Caleb hoped it wasn't too long.
"Not long at all. They'll probably leave around Tuesday."
"Are you going to introduce me to them?" Caleb's smile dazzled Ally.
"Why do you want to meet then?" asked Ally.
"To show them I'm not a bad boy." Caleb flirted with her again.
"I don't know you well enough to determine if you're a bad boy." Ally looked at Caleb with wary eyes.
"Why don't you find out?" asked Caleb.
"Since we're neighbors, I probably will. Okay. I'll introduce you to my parents, but I'll warn you, Dad can be tough."
"So can I." Caleb looked thoughtfully at Ally "You know what it is? You stick out because you're different."
"Different? In what way?" asked Ally.
"You've got class." Caleb leaned against the wall and smiled.
"Thank you." Ally blushed in pleasure. He looked so damn sexy Ally tried hard to behave. She wanted to throw herself at him, but she remembered her vow.
"Who else could wear doggie pajamas and look good?" Caleb teased her again.
"Oh." Ally blushed deeper. "They're comfortable and I had no idea anyone would drop by."
"But you answered the door, anyway." Caleb’s smile widened.
"I knew I could trust you. Remember, you're not looking for a woman and I've had it with men?"
"Right." Caleb reached up and cupped her face with his right hand. Her skin felt like silk, making him a little crazy. He shouldn't have touched her, but she didn't pull away. "You didn't say goodbye."
"You were busy. I didn't want to interrupt." Once again, their gazes locked.
"Next time, interrupt." Caleb's eyes looked into Ally's; his lips very near hers.
"Okay." Ally waited, breathless in anticipation. Caleb kissed her ever so gently and quickly pulled away.
"Good night, Ally." Caleb opened the front door and the cool nighttime air brought him to his senses. He had to get a grip. He had to stay away from Ally.
Chapter Eight
"That damn rooster," cried Ally as she sat up in bed and looked at the clock. Ally glanced at the clock as the lighted numbers read four-thirty in the morning darkness. "If you didn't
belong to Caleb, my gun would've found you." Tank lay sound asleep on the floor, the rooster didn't bother him, which made Ally even madder. She had hardly slept a wink last night. How dare Caleb kiss her? It was a little kiss, but it felt so good. Ally rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, trying to get the vision of her and Caleb making love out of her head. "Concentrate, concentrate." She yawned and got out of bed, avoiding the sleeping Tank. She padded into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The water took its time to warm up and Ally let the hot water soothe her mood. When she had finished, she got dressed and let her hair air dry. Now, Tank was up and followed her into the kitchen. "Night lights," muttered Ally as she stubbed her toe on a chair. "I can't see where I'm going." She tried some switches until she found the right ones and let Tank out. Ally then made the coffee and started her list for the day. "Night lights," she wrote down. "Gym membership; paper delivered; order online." She glanced up at the clock to see it had progressed to five-thirty in the morning, a long way until eight when the security company said they were coming. Sighing, she turned on her laptop, ordered the sheets and towels, signed up for the paper, checked her emails and then her Facebook page. The phone rang interrupting the quiet.