When The Runway Went South

by Lois Kasznia

  "What a nice young man," commented Tara once they went back inside. "Of course, he's not Ally's type at all."

  "What do you mean, Mother?" asked Ally, hurt. "I'm not looking for any man, either good or bad."

  "Tara, please don't start," warned Robert.

  "But Ally should be married by now," protested Tara

  "Mother, did it ever occur to you I don't want to be married yet?”

  "Ally is right," said Robert. "She'll know when the right man will come along. Let it be, Tara."

  "Oh Ally, all I've done is pick on you. I don't mean to, but I want you to be happy."

  "I am happy, Mother. I've had a successful career as a model and now I'm starting on another chapter of my life. Just because there isn't a man involved doesn't mean I'm not happy." Ally realized her mother just didn't get it.

  "I think a good plan is for Mother to spend the day at my place while Dad and Ally do their thing," suggested Kat.

  "That's right. When I spoke with Caleb earlier, he mentioned Ally doesn't have any tools or a first aid kit." Robert made a mental note to make a list of items Ally would need.

  "Caleb told you that?" Ally smiled.

  "He said he mentioned a couple of other things around the house. Said he didn't think you had a good inspection. Why would he say that, Ally?"

  "Just a couple of things went wrong the day I moved in, but everything is fine now."

  "Uh huh. We'll see. Tara and I are tired and headed off to bed. Where is it? Ally, you need a map to get around in this house."

  "Dad, you know where it is; up the stairs and to your right."

  "I need to get home as soon as I help Ally with the dishes. Mother? I'll be here tomorrow morning around nine," said Kat.

  "Don't worry about it, Kat. I'll clean up." Ally began to clear the table.

  "Are you sure because I can stay?" Kat looked at her sister.

  "Positive." Ally shooed her parents up to their room and Kat out the door. She needed time to think about Caleb. What exactly did he want from her? Sex? But why would he tell her father about his concerns? Ally carefully loaded the dishwasher and started it. She finished a few pans by hand and put them away, still lost in thought. What did they have in common? They hadn't even talked about anything substantial. What were his hobbies? What kind of music did he like? What about politics and religion? Oh, she needed to learn so much more about Caleb. Physical attraction amounted to one thing, but Ally wanted something deeper.

  On the way to her bedroom, Ally heard an unfamiliar beep. Still trying to get used to the security system in the house, Ally cocked her head. Every time someone would come in and out of the house, the alarm system would notify her by the light controls and a beep. This sounded different. Ally went around the first floor looking for any open windows and saw none. Maybe her parents had opened a window upstairs? Ally went upstairs and checked the rooms and found nothing. Stumped, she went back downstairs to her bedroom and fell into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Ally, what's wrong with your refrigerator?" Robert peered into the door of the appliance and pressed buttons.

  "What do you mean?" Ally came over. She had just awakened and desperately needed some coffee.

  "Look at the controls up here." Robert had moved out of the way to let Ally see. "It has the temperature of the freezer and then the main unit. It shows the freezer is at fifteen degrees and the rest of the fridge is at fifty-five degrees." A beep sounded in their ears.

  "So that's where that noise is coming from," said Ally. "I've never had a fridge like this before. It's a custom built. I mean, look at the woodwork used to match the cabinets. I don't even know where the plug is on this thing."

  "Well, it's letting you know there's a problem." Robert punched a few more buttons.

  "Dad, try the button marked COOLER." Robert tried and the beeping stopped, momentarily. "I'll call the home warranty number again," mumbled Ally as she started to make coffee. "It's Friday, but they don't open until eight."

  "What about your food? It's going to go bad." Robert looked at his daughter with concern. "You don't even have another refrigerator."

  "I had planned on getting another one, but I haven't had time."

  "Ally," sighed her father. "You should always have two for just this reason."

  "Just throw it on the list for today," said Ally, disgusted.

  "Your mother and I can buy one for you as a house warming gift."

  "Don't be ridiculous. I can afford one," scoffed Ally.

  "You're going through money like water, Ally."

  "Dad, don't worry. I can afford it."

  "Hurry up and get dressed so we can go to the store and get a new one. Close the door in order to keep the food from getting any warmer. Where can we get breakfast around here? I'm definitely upset about this, Ally.”

  "Kat's coming over at nine for mom, so I'll ask her to bring something. At eight, I'll call for service, Dad. Stores don't open until at least nine." Ally picked up the phone to call Kat and told her of the problem. She walked over to the kitchen window and sighed as she watched Caleb and Jeb ride by on their horses. Why did he have to be such a hunk? "I'm going to get dressed, so help yourselves to some coffee."

  "Ally, your mother and I are on medication and we need to take it with food. Don't you have anything to eat?"

  "There's fruit and toast, Dad."

  "I need my orange juice. I am not a happy camper, young lady."

  "Kat is bringing over the food in about fifteen minutes. You're going to have to wait." Ally shook her head and walked into her room to get dressed. She heard Kat bustling around the kitchen and smiled as Kat doled out the much needed breakfasts.

  "Gee, Ally, now what? These built in refrigerators are a lot of money, you know." Kat looked up at Ally with concern.

  "I know, I know. I'm calling now." Ally picked up the phone and called stating her name and address. She waited patiently while the agent checked her coverage. "What do you mean it's not covered?" Ally had the information repeated while she shook her head in disbelief. She slowly disconnected the phone and turned to her family. "It's not covered."

  "Where are your yellow pages?" Kat found them and quickly scanned for twenty four emergency services. "Here, call this one, Ally. He's right in the area and it says he works on your fridge's brand."

  Ally dutifully dialed the number and spoke with someone about the problem she had experienced. "It's the fan? Where is the fan?" she asked her father.

  "It should be in the freezer." Robert opened the freezer door and stuck his head in. "Nope, don't hear anything running."

  "My father said he didn't hear anything," reported Ally. "You'll be here sometime this afternoon? Can you be more specific? Okay, we'll see you then." She hung up and looked at her family. "He's coming between noon and four. That doesn't give us much time. Is there somewhere we can store at least the frozen food so it doesn't go bad?"

  "I'll pack it in my car and put it in my fridge when I take Mom back to my house. You and dad go out and find a second refrigerator."

  "Let's go, Dad. We've got work to do." Ally picked up her car keys, while Kat took Tara to her car. Everyone had an agenda, which needed to be followed.

  Ally and her father picked out a standard refrigerator at local appliance store who promised to deliver it as soon as tomorrow. Unfortunately, the delivery could only be scheduled between eight and five, but at least it would be tomorrow. Then, they went to Lowes and picked up a ladder and tools Ally would need around the house. Her father loved being handy and he bought all of these tools that she had no idea what they were for or how to use them. Robert even went to the plumbing section and bought parts for the alleged damaged toilets. "Caleb is going to be proud of you, yet." Robert kept reminding Ally.

  "I'll show him I'm no helpless female from New York," teased Ally. "We need to grab something for lunch before we go home. I think Kat and Mom went shopping, so we're on our own." They swung by a local sandwich shop and ju
st when they got home, her cell phone rang.

  "Hey," said Caleb. "What all y'all been up to this morning?"

  "You'd be surprised," said Ally. "We're having an 'Ally' day."

  "Now what broke?" Caleb had a death wish for Ally's inspector.

  "It's the refrigerator. The fan is broken. Dad tried to restart it, but that didn't do the trick. So, Kat had to take my food to her house and we just bought another refrigerator for the garage."

  "Yours is custom built, so in order to replace it, you'd have to have a carpenter come out and special order a new one."

  "Bingo." Ally shook her head. "I refuse to do so. This one is only two years old and not under warranty."

  "What are all y'all doing for dinner without any food?"

  "Kat only has a two bedroom apartment, so we can't eat there. It looks like we're going out to eat. Do you have any suggestions?"

  "Fort Worth. I know of a great place. If y'all can be ready by six. I'll take all y'all there."

  "Caleb, you don't have to do that."

  "It will be my treat for last night. Dress code is fancy Western." Caleb looked pleased with himself.

  "Fancy Western, what's that?" Ally asked. "I've been in fashion a long time and I have no idea what that means."

  "You'll learn. Designer jeans, boots and a cowboy hat if you have one." Caleb chuckled.

  "I don't own a cowboy hat," said Ally softly.

  "We'll have to fix that."

  "I won't have time today. I have to wait for the repairman."

  "We'll figure out something. See all y'all at six." Caleb hung up with a smile.

  "Caleb called again?" Robert looked at his daughter strangely. "I'd swear you really like him."

  "I don't know him enough to say I like him. We really haven't talked about anything other than this house and what he expects of a neighbor." As if she were going to tell her father the kind of kisses Caleb gave her and by just one look from him caused her heart rate to soar into the triple digits.

  "Expects of a neighbor?" Robert looked confused.

  "No loud parties, no throwing garbage over the fence so his animals won't eat it. Caleb made it very clear."

  "There must have been some bad people who owned this house before you."

  "Obviously." Ally parked the car and took their sandwiches into the house. Happy and in his element, Robert set about fixing her toilets and putting away the tools. Ally called Kat to let her know about the dinner arrangements, explaining the dress requirements.

  "I don't own any designer jeans," complained Kat. "I'm sure he'll understand if I stay home."

  "Come on, Kat. You can't leave me alone with Mom, please." Ally could just see where this would go tonight if they let Tara do her own devices.

  "Oh, all right. I'll find something to wear," grumbled Kat.

  "I owe you. The repairman is here, so I have to run,"

  "Ally? He's here," yelled Robert from the kitchen.

  "Hello, ma'am, what seems to be the problem with the fridge?" The repairman, an older gentleman, had kind blue eyes and Ally trusted him immediately.

  "It's not working at all." Ally opened the door and showed him the display.

  "Fan's not running." He proceeded to take the shelves out of the freezer and stacked them into the sink. He then reached above the unit and undid the shelving, which revealed the location of the plug for the appliance.

  "That's where it is," whispered Ally to her father.

  "I'm going to tweak a couple of wires, because these fans are real sensitive in this model." He unplugged the unit and made some adjustment to the fan and it started running. "Now, let me explain something. Not too many people are going to work on this model because you can tell it's a pain. But if you need a new fan, we're talking at least four or five hundred dollars. Good news is we're a family business, so I have my sons help me out when they can." All three of them stared as the fan kept running as if willing it not to stop.

  "How much do I owe you for today's visit?" Ally had her checkbook ready.

  "I normally charge one fifty for a service call, but if you pay me cash, only one hundred dollars."

  "Oh, I don't have that kind of cash around the house."

  "I do, Ally.” Robert peeled the money from his wallet and handed it to the repairman.

  "Thanks, sir. Call me if it stops working and I'll be sure we have that part in stock when I get back to the ware house. Say, you look familiar. Who are you?" He finally noticed Ally as a person.

  "Ally Duncan," replied Robert proudly.

  "Dad," warned Ally.

  "Sorry, it doesn't ring a bell. My wife would know. She's on top of all you celebrities."

  "Thanks for coming." Ally shrugged her shoulders and led him outside the door.

  "Dad, why don't you take a nap or at least rest up for tonight," suggested Ally.

  "No, I'm fine. Just let me tinker around. Go on and do what you have to. I'll be fine."

  "Okay." Ally went into her bedroom to pick out what she should wear tonight. "A cowboy hat? The only hat I ever wear is a baseball cap." Ally shook her head.

  ****

  "Caleb, this is so nice of you to do this for us." Tara loved that they were going to Fort Worth and with Caleb. Kat had told Ally their mother had done nothing but talk about how handsome he seemed and why didn't Ally like him. Ally had rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time because of her mother.

  "Where's the rest of the family?" asked Caleb as he purposely looked around for Ally.

  "We're here," said Ally and once again, her heart pounded in her chest as she laid eyes on Caleb. He wore pressed jeans and a handsome black and green western shirt, which fit snugly over his well muscled chest. Ally closed her eyes, remembering every inch of it naked and hot to the touch. On his head, sat a beautiful, adorned leather cowboy hat pulled down low to his brow.

  "Kat, Ally." His gaze lingered over Ally appreciatively as he admired her jeans that covered those long incredible legs. Hell, when he learned she knew how to horseback ride, he'd gladly be the horse so she could wrap those legs around him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I brought the SUV. Robert can sit in front with me and the ladies can have the back seat."

  "I've only seen you in the truck," commented Ally as she gaped at the gigantic Ford Excursion.

  "This is for special occasions." Caleb never took his eyes off of Ally. Caleb puffed his chest with glee because he could watch Ally in the mirror while he drove and no one would notice.

  It took a little less than a half hour to get to the restaurant and Caleb proudly showed them around. Ally had seen places like this on television, but never in person. She stared openly at the way people were dressed in their 'fancy' Western wear and their cowboy hats. Caleb had taken her arm as the waiter led them to their table.

  "Y'all don't find this in New York?" Caleb's eyes were twinkling, amused as Ally's wide eyes tried to take in the scene.

  "No, not at all; this is a kick. Uh oh, people are staring at me." Ally looked down at her menu.

  "It's okay. You're not the only famous person here. See over at the next table? They are Dallas Cowboy football players. No one will bother you."

  "Ally, you should be used to this," Tara said as she glanced at her daughter.

  "It grows old real fast, Mom. Now, Caleb, what would you recommend?" Ally felt better knowing Caleb had purposely separated her from her mother.

  "Anything," he replied and politely listened to Tara carry on about the family. Caleb also kept his attention on Ally as she and Kat commented on the people around them. Every once in a while, he would touch Ally and point someone out to her, his hands never far from her legs.

  Aware of the man sitting next to her, Ally could barely keep up with the table conversation. Every time Caleb touched her, she jumped like a bolt of electricity. This had never happened to her before and she tried to wrap her feelings around it. After dinner, Caleb stretched and put his arm around the back of her chair, so that when she leaned back, she c
ould feel the solid muscle of his arm. When she did, her pulse started to pound. How could one man make her feel this way?

  A live band set up and began to play. Ally's parents were wide-eyed in surprise and turned to Caleb. "Can you dance?" asked Robert. "Tara and I just learned how to do the two-step?"

  "Y'all did? Well, that's great. Sure, all y'all go up there and let's see what all you can do." He turned to Ally. "You hear that? Your mom and dad are going to dance."

  "Get out." Kat looked on.