When The Runway Went South

by Lois Kasznia

  "I think it's in our best interest I go home. I think you'll be fine."

  "It's in my best interest?" Ally looked confused. She noticed his shirt, unbuttoned from the top which revealed his perfect six-pack abs. She shivered in awe.

  "I don't quite know how to explain this." Caleb searched for the right words. "I have quite the reputation of being a ladies' man, but I can also be a real gentleman, too. However, when one of the prettiest women in the world is sleeping half naked in the room next to me; the devil wants to take over."

  "I see," said Ally thoughtfully looking at Caleb. "I try not to let that 'pretty' thing get in the way of who I am. I'm just me, Ally. So, for your reputation, what do you want it to be?"

  "I got lucky?" Caleb smiled and moved closer.

  "Back up, there a minute, Romeo." Ally laughed and placed her hand on his chest, which she shouldn't have done. His body heated and it felt darn good. "What about our pact? You know the one; you're not looking for a woman and I'm not looking for a man?"

  "I think we should eat our words." Caleb leaned in and kissed Ally fully on the lips. The smell of her cologne and femininity drove Caleb over the edge. His tongue expertly slid into Ally's mouth and tasted the sweetness there.

  Ally's hands on his chest burned as she gently explored his muscles, sending shock waves throughout his body.

  Caleb became lost and deepened the kiss because he couldn't get enough of her. Looping her arms around his neck, Ally pulled him down on top of her and Caleb gladly followed. "Ally, the devil is winning."

  "Caleb," shrieked Ally as she pulled away. "We should stop. This isn't a good idea. We hardly know each other. We're neighbors. We're not supposed to be doing this." Ally jumped out of the bed. "I made you renege on our promise."

  "You're right," sighed Caleb as he reluctantly got off the bed. "I apologize for not being a gentleman."

  "Things happen," said Ally. "It's as much as my fault as yours. I shouldn't have taken the picture of those boys in the first place. Then we wouldn't be in this predicament." She stalked the bedroom not realizing she only wore a t-shirt, her long legs exposed.

  "Um, Ally? You need to put pants on." Caleb tried hard not to look at her legs.

  "Oh my," gasped Ally and ran into the bathroom to grab her sweats. When she came out; Caleb stood by the front door ready to head on out.

  "Where did you learn to kiss like that?" Caleb had to know because it had been the best darn kiss he had ever had.

  "No one has ever kissed me like that, Caleb," whispered Ally.

  "I find that hard to believe, ma'am." Caleb went out the door, leaving Ally breathless.

  Ally tried hard to sleep, but couldn't. She kept reliving the kiss over and over in addition to the way Caleb's body had covered hers. What had she been thinking? He's her neighbor, for Pete's sake. Oh, she could just hear Kat now if she knew. Ally sat upright. Kat is never going to find out about this Ally would take it to her grave.

  Chapter Nine

  Morning came too soon and Ally dragged herself out of bed and showered. After completing her morning routine, her eyes traveled to the family room where Caleb had been sitting and noticed his wallet and cell phone on the table. Ally put down her coffee cup and did some fast thinking. She picked up Caleb's phone and saw the 'in case of an emergency' list and dialed it. Sure enough, Caleb picked it up.

  "See what you've done to me?" grumbled Caleb. "I'll stop by in a couple of minutes to pick it up."

  "Now this is my fault?" asked Ally.

  "Yup, and have some coffee ready." Caleb ended the call.

  "My fault," grumbled Ally as she waited for Caleb. Not even five minutes passed before Caleb knocked on the door.

  "How do you like your coffee?" asked Ally as she poured a cup.

  "Black and strong, not of these lattes; those are for sissies."

  "Suit yourself," said Ally and she watched as Caleb made himself comfortable.

  "Talked to the sheriff and they still haven't found those boys. I want you to be really careful today." Caleb took a drink of his coffee before he continued, "When the security company comes, see if they can do something with the fence gates. It wouldn't hurt to lock them, too."

  "They're supposed to come around noon, would you mind sticking around to help?"

  "I can't. I've got work to do. Just ask them." He finished his coffee and stood up to leave. "Ma'am." He tipped his hat.

  "Ally." Ally didn't think she would get used to this 'ma'am' stuff. She watched him leave and sighed. He was wearing her down.

  "Ally, you look beat. Are you sure you're okay?" Kat frowned at her sister as she entered the house.

  "I had a rough night," replied Ally as she set her purse on the counter. "Where do you want me to start?"

  "Here, take these two casseroles out to the car," said Kat as she handed them to Ally. "I'll take the main dishes."

  "Kat, how do you track your work? Do you have anything written down like you recipes?"

  "Not really, I just make it up as I go along." Kat shrugged her shoulders.

  "That has to change if you want to go big time. I'm talking about advertising for your brochures and building your website."

  "Ally, you're going too fast. Let's start small and if it gets bigger than we keep building."

  "Okay. What did you make today?” Ally tried to get Kat to focus.

  "Oriental Chicken salad on a croissant, with diced chicken tossed in oriental mayonnaise and topped with sesame seasonings. What you're carrying is grilled vegetable pesto pasta and a cucumber tomato salad. For dessert, I made my own blueberry cheesecake," explained Kat, beaming.

  "That's it?" joked Ally. "Jeez, Kat, how long did it take you to make this?"

  "This morning and some of it last night. Ally, I miss Tom and doing this helps me take my mind off of him."

  "I'm taking pictures of this for your website, which I'll be setting up soon."

  "Fine by me, we're late, so get a move on." Kat grabbed her car keys.

  Ally sat quietly as Kat drove to an unfamiliar area. Even though Kat had a GPS system, it kept sending them in the wrong direction. After too many 're-calculatings' and resetting the device, they finally were on their way.

  "So what happened last night?" asked Kat.

  "Turns out those teenagers were released from custody. They trespassed onto Caleb's land again. We had the cops out."

  "You really are bringing trouble to the area," commented Kat.

  "Hey, it's not me, it's them. To make matters worse, they know who I am and that I'm the one who took their picture. They called me last night and would hang up. I'll call the phone company to get my number changed and unlisted. What a hassle." Ally shook her head.

  "I bet Caleb wasn't pleased," pressed Kat.

  "Not at all." Ally waited for Kat's response.

  "Seems like you see him every day?"

  "Not intentionally. Things have happened in which we seem to be crossing paths."

  "You know what I think? I think he likes you," said Kat taking a swift glance at Ally.

  Ally glanced at her sister. "What makes you think that?"

  "Just by the way he looks at you. I don't know, but it's a gut feeling I have." Kat smiled.

  "Well, just 'un-gut' it," replied Ally crossly. "How much longer is it until we arrive at the house?"

  "We're here now." Ally helped Kat with the plates and met the host who appeared to be hyperventilating because her dogs had pooped on the carpets. Kat calmed her down and directed Ally to place the luncheon plates on the table only after the mess had been cleaned up. After they finished with the party, Ally took pictures and made notes about the dishes Kat had served. They were there for close to four hours and Ally felt wiped out.

  When they reached Kat's house, Ally wearily got in her car and drove home. She sat down at the computer and downloaded the pictures.. She then typed up an article about what Kat had served and started a file. She checked her email and messages. There were over twenty-two messages of
hang ups and heavy breathing. Ally then phoned the telephone company and had her number changed and unlisted. Feeling better, she looked out at the pool and almost fainted. A seven foot snake hung from one of the trees and slithered from branch to branch.

  "Ohmigod!" screamed Ally. She clutched her chest and looked hysterically for her phone. Dialing quickly, she called the police who assured her they would be there soon. She then called Caleb. "You have to come quick. There is a snake in the tree by my pool."

  "Ally," laughed Caleb. "Texas is known for their snakes. Just leave it alone and it will go away."

  "Caleb, I know a snake when I see one. This one is over seven foot long and I'd swear it's a python.

  "Ally, pythons are not native to Texas and I'm sure it's not that big. Jeb and I will take a look."

  "Come soon? I'm really scared. This thing could eat Tank!" squawked Ally. She hung up the phone and locked up Tank in her bedroom. Even though she hated snakes, Ally watched it in fascination as it slid around the tree.

  "Now what?" asked Jeb as he smiled at Caleb. "Your friend has more problems?"

  "Ally says there's a seven foot snake in her pool." Caleb shook his head in laughter. "I told her we would take a look."

  "This I got to see," laughed Jeb. They rode their horses over to Ally's lot and stared at what they saw.

  "Holy cow, she's right. How did a python get into her yard? Jeb, get the animals away from here and back into the barn," barked Caleb. Jeb took off in a hurry while Caleb called the police.

  "She did call it in and we thought it might be just a rattler. It's a python? We'll be right there. Someone had to place it in her yard," stated the sheriff.

  Caleb rode home, once again putting Thor through his paces. He tied the poor horse and ran to his pickup truck. He made it to Ally's in seconds flat.

  "Ally, open up, it's me." No one answered so he tried the door and found it unlocked. He let himself in and looked around for her. "Ally? Ally where are you?"

  "In here," said a small voice coming from the bedroom. Tank woofed identifying where 'here' came from.

  ”Ally, unlock the door."

  "Is it safe?"

  "The snake is not going to come inside. Now, open up." Caleb heard the lock click and went inside. Ally trembled from head to toe and her face grim. She flew into Caleb's arms. "This is not a normal situation and no, it's not okay, but I'm glad I'm here." His arms closed around her, holding her tight. "Tell me what happened," said Caleb calmly.

  "I…I came home from being with Kat all day and just looked out the window and I saw it."Ally still trembled from the shock of what she had seen. "Caleb, it's a big snake. How did it get here? Why would someone do this to me?" She looked up at him with a tear-stained face.

  "I don't know, but I don't like it at all." He gently kissed her hair. "Someone is playing a mean trick on you, and me, too. Pythons eat livestock like my chickens. The police are on their way and they're bringing a game warden."

  "Phone calls, I can deal with, but not snakes. I hate snakes." Ally shuddered again and held Caleb close to her. "Thanks for coming," she said underneath her breath.

  "Hell, if you're going to hug me like this, I'll place a snake in your yard every day," joked Caleb as he held her even tighter, pleased how Ally's body fit into his. "Last night, you kicked me out and now look?"

  "I didn't kick you out," said Ally as she tried to pull away, but Caleb held her close until her trembling stopped. The doorbell rang and Caleb went to answer it.

  "Where did y'all get the snake," joked the sheriff as he strode in the door.

  "I ordered him from Macy's," said Ally sarcastically. Both Caleb and the sheriff chuckled.

  "This here is Bob. He's going to relocate the snake. Somebody had to put him in your yard. Make sure you lock your gates, so no one can get in. The only other way to get to your property is through Caleb's." He looked at Caleb questioningly. "You didn't do this to scare Ally away? I'm getting used to coming here once a day."

  "I told Ally about her gates." Caleb turned to her. "I've got some locks I will loan you until you buy some. What did the security people say?"

  "They wouldn't install the locks on the gates because they didn't have the right ones on their truck" said Ally, with a frown.

  They all walked to the backdoor and watched as Bob wrestled with the massive snake and put him in a bag. Bob started to walk through the house and Ally screamed. "No snake is going through my house!" Bob stopped and then headed for the gate while the sheriff finished up writing his report.

  "Caleb, go get those locks and we'll have someone watch over the house for the next couple of days." The sheriff radioed in the incident while Caleb took off. "Now, call us if there's any more trouble, ma'am. I do apologize for not believing you at first."

  "It's okay. I didn't believe it myself." Ally watched as he drove away and went back into the house. She headed right for the liquor cabinet and poured a healthy shot of whiskey from Caleb's bottle. She shuddered as the fiery amber liquid slid down her throat. Because she hadn't had anything to eat, the alcohol hit her quickly. Ally sat down and waited for Caleb.

  "Ally, it's me again." Grinned Caleb as he came through the front door. He looked at the glass on the table and grinned. "Starting a little strong?"

  "How can you stand this stuff? Yuck." Ally made a face.

  "You're a little drunk?" Caleb handed her the locks and squeezed her hand.

  "No, I just have a buzz.” Ally looked at what Caleb had brought."These are the locks?" Ally stared at them thinking they were just like the locks she had in high school for her locker.

  "Come on out and I'll show you." Caleb took her hand and they walked side by side to the gates and installed the locks. As they walked back to the house, Caleb looked at her closely. "What are we going to have for dinner?"

  "I was going to try a new recipe, but now I don't feel like it," said Ally dejectedly. "Any suggestions, Caleb?"

  "How about I take you out to dinner?" he asked. "My treat."

  "Can I go dressed like this?" Ally looked down at her jeans.

  "Yup." Caleb waited while Ally got her purse and locked up.

  "Where is this place?" asked Ally as she sat next to Caleb. She didn't like riding in a pickup truck and the road Caleb used had lots of bumps which jostled her into Caleb's seat.

  "Just up the road. You need to get something in your stomach so you can calm down and have a drink."

  "Sounds like a plan to me." Ally yawned and Caleb drew to a stop.

  "This is it." Caleb negotiated into a parking place expertly.

  "I know where we're at!" said Ally as she looked around. "I saw this place and wanted to try it."

  "Doesn't look like much, but it's got the best Tex-Mex food around." He helped Ally get down from the cab, never taking his hand away from the small of her back. He greeted the hostess who flirted outrageously with Caleb and sent Ally a disapproving look. Ally picked up the menu and read it over.

  "Anything on here is good," commented Caleb as he made his decision. "Two margaritas," he told the waitress.

  "Are you trying to get me drunk?" Ally looked at him and once again Caleb's green eyes flashed at her with amusement.

  "You need something to make you relax and these are the best ones in town. Now, tell me who do you think put that snake in your pool.”

  "It's those kids, of course." Ally snorted. "How did they get it in there? Where did they get the snake from?" asked Ally.

  "I've been doing some thinking," said Caleb as he reached for the chips and salsa. "The sheriff told me he needed to check the zoos or exotic wildlife refuges. You're not alone, Ally. It affects me and my ranch, too."

  "Hey, these are good," commented Ally as she dug into the chips and salsa. "I didn't realize how hungry catching snakes made me." She smiled across the table at Caleb who watched her intently.

  "I thought models ate only cottage cheese and drank coffee all day to stay skinny?"

  "I told you, I have a high
metabolism. I can eat anything I want, but I try to keep it healthy. Tonight, I'm starving." Ally grinned back at him. "Besides helping me, what did you do today?" The meal arrived and Ally bit into it enthusiastically. "Oh, Caleb, this is delicious."

  Caleb smiled as he watched Ally tear into her food. He ate more slowly only because he wanted to prolong their evening together. He enjoyed the fact that he never a dull moment with Ally. He wished she would realize it and soon. Caleb shook his head as Ally polished off her Margarita and asked for another one.