When The Runway Went South

by Lois Kasznia

  "I'm sorry, ma'am. It should've lasted longer. It's only a one year warranty on the make and model you have."

  "Ally, what's the problem?" asked Caleb, who appeared out of nowhere and his arm went protectively around her shoulders.

  "This morning, the garage door wouldn't go down so I called my home warranty and it's not covered. Now, this man is telling me I need a whole new unit. The warranty on this is only a year."

  "You've got to be kidding," said Caleb. "How did this pass inspection?"

  "Um, that's not all," said the repair man. "Look at the springs on the door. It's the wrong size. On a double door like this one, you need two springs and this has only one."

  "Son of a..." Caleb tried not to lose his cool. "So you're going to replace the entire unit and spring, right?"

  "Yes. Now, there are three kinds of openers. This here one is the cheapest and, of course, it didn't last. I recommend the belt driven because it's quieter than the screw driven."

  "Um, what's the cost?" asked Ally.

  "It will be around three hundred dollars for the unit, one fifty for the springs and one hundred for the installation."

  "Caleb?" Ally looked at him for help.

  "It sounds reasonable because in the long run, you're not going to pay for it. I'm going to let Dottie know what a horrible inspector she keeps recommending."

  "Okay, go ahead and fix it," said Ally. She tried to follow an angry Caleb as he stomped towards her house.

  "Dottie? Caleb here. I'm at Ally's again because her garage door opener is broken. Not only that, the springs on the door were not up to code. Why didn't your inspector catch this? This is the third time poor Ally has had to be inconvenienced. I don't want her paying a penny for this, do you understand?"

  "Caleb, these things happen all the time," explained Dottie patiently.

  "No, they don't. Not all at once. Poor Ally has been here less than a month and look what she's had to go through. I mean it, Dottie."

  "I'll see what I can do, Caleb." She more or less hung up on him.

  "Caleb, I don't want you to be fighting with your friends," said Ally.

  "I'm a proud Texan and like things done the right way the first time. This here yokel shouldn't even have his license and I'll be the first to tell him."

  "I'll be right behind you," swore Ally. "It's like everyone is trying to make money off of me."

  "Don't they do that in New York, too?" Caleb lifted here her chin and kissed Ally soundly.

  "They do, but I know how to spot one in a second there. Here, I don't know how I walked into this one." Ally tilted her head and stared at Caleb fondly. "You know you're a darn good kisser."

  "I know," smiled Caleb as he held her in his arms. "What are you doing tonight?"

  "Kat is on her way over here for dinner. What about you?"

  "I have a meeting to go to about the cattle. It will last late." Caleb kissed Ally again.

  "How late?" murmured Ally.

  "Eleven or so, it's a long day. What are you doing this weekend, specifically Saturday? "

  "Nothing. Why?"

  "How would you like to go to Fort Worth to a real live rodeo?"

  "I'd love it," exclaimed Ally. "I've always wanted to go to one."

  "I'll pick you up around noon. I told Jeb about it so he said he would cover for me if necessary." Caleb let Ally go reluctantly. "I'll be in touch."

  "Thanks again for your help, Caleb." Ally followed Caleb outside and as she watched him leave, she wondered again how she'd fallen in love so fast. This feeling she had for Caleb kept growing stronger. Never had she experienced this with another man. She turned around to go back into the house, only to find she had locked herself out. Wait until Kat showed up. How embarrassing.

  ****

  True to his word, Caleb called Ally on Friday to confirm their plans and Ally beamed from ear to ear. Since they didn't have any appointments for the weekend, Kat had made plans to go to San Antonio to visit with some friends. She had invited Ally to go along, but Ally declined, not telling Kat about her plans. This relationship with Caleb had Ally feeling uncertain of what to tell Kat. Even though Kat had hinted about it the other night, Ally had been able to divert her attention to another subject.

  Come Saturday morning, Ally felt more than ready. She had painstakingly bought a pair of cowboy boots and wore her jeans. She thought she looked the part, but couldn't find a cowboy hat to match her outfit

  "Hey you," drawled Caleb as Ally opened her front door.

  "Oh Caleb, I'm so excited."

  "Is it to see me or about the rodeo?"

  "Both." Ally smiled widely and Caleb gathered her in his arms and kissed her.

  "I hope you'd want to blow off the rodeo and spend the day here where no one could find us."

  "I'd want that, too, but not today." Ally playfully pushed him away.

  "You're a hard woman to please."

  "I think you know how to please me." Ally smiled seductively.

  "Do you know you can drive a man over the brink," said Caleb through gritted teeth. "Hop on it so I can take you to your first Texas rodeo."

  Ally climbed up into the seat and fastened her seatbelt. Caleb got in, turned around and grabbed a hat from the backseat. "This is for you. Didn't know whether you had one or not."

  "Caleb, it's perfect. You're so sweet." Ally smiled as she took the hat and put it on. "How does it look?" She turned to him.

  "Good enough to make me want to eat you."

  "Caleb," laughed Ally. "You can do that later."

  "Promise?"

  "I do," swore Ally. She settled in for a day and possibly a night of fun.

  The drive only lasted about twenty minutes and Caleb handled the traffic and parking with ease. Taking Ally's hand, he led her into the stadium while Ally looked on in awe of her surroundings. "I have penthouse seats, but sometimes it's a lot more fun to be with the crowd," commented Caleb as he led Ally to the general admission seating.

  "I love it!" declared Ally. "I always wondered what it would be like. Oh, Caleb. Look at the clowns." Ally pointed.

  "Don't do that," said Caleb under his breath. "Don't attract their attention, jeez, too late." The clown ambled over to Ally and kissed her hand. Unfortunately, the arena's camera focused on them and Ally's picture appeared on the wide screens.

  "I'm sorry," whispered Ally as the clown left them. "I didn't think he would notice me."

  "I'm just trying to protect you," said Caleb. "Maybe no one knows who Ally Duncan is. Or if they do, they'll leave you alone."

  "Let me put my sunglasses on," said Ally as she found them in her purse. She could sense Caleb's mood had soured.

  "Now watch how they do this, Ally," directed Caleb. "They let the steer out first to give it some room and then watch how the loop the rope. See?"

  "Whoa, look how well they can ride those horses." Ally shook her head. "Do they ever get pulled off of their horses when they're doing this?"

  "Yup. Sometimes the steer gets lucky, now just watch." Caleb took Ally's hand, still worried about someone recognizing her and causing a scene. It didn't take long until a young girl wandered up to their seats.

  "Excuse me, but aren't you Ally Duncan? I just love you and want to be a model just like you," gushed the young girl.

  "Thank you," responded Ally as she took a pen and a note pad from her purse. "Why don't you write down your email address and I'll be sure to contact you. This way, I can watch the rodeo without missing anything."

  "Thanks," squealed the young girl as she scribbled her email address and handed it back to Ally. She left with a big smile on her face.

  "Disaster averted," murmured Ally.

  "Quick thinking," said Caleb proudly. "Now, here comes the winner. These guys are really good." There weren't any more diversions and Caleb felt relieved. He and Ally relaxed and had a great time. After the show, Caleb led Ally to meet some of the riders he knew. A couple of people stopped Ally just to say hello and comment, but Caleb had a stron
g grip on her arm and steered them away firmly.

  Ally enjoyed meeting the riders and no one made a comment about her being there. For some reason she couldn't fathom, Caleb became really bothered by it. Maybe because it happened all the time in New York, she kind of got used to it.

  "So, what's for dinner?" she asked playfully.

  "I know of this really great place," said Caleb as he dug in his pocket for his keys.

  "Ally Duncan, over here. I'm John here from TMZ." A TMZ camera intrusively loomed into Ally and Caleb's face as they exited the stadium.

  "Uh, hello." Ally smiled politely and she kept on walking as she felt Caleb's temper boil.

  "What are you doing in Texas?" asked the camera man.

  "I went to my first rodeo." Ally knew enough to be polite and not cause a scene.

  "Did you stop modeling?"

  "No. Bye." Ally smiled prettily for the camera and quickly ducked into a building and dragged Caleb with her. "We'll go out the back entrance to avoid him," she said.

  "Ally, stop," said Caleb forcefully. "Look, you don't even know where you are."

  "We're in..." Ally looked around at her surroundings and realized they were at a liquor store. "Oh. If I explain the situation, they'll let us out."

  "Ally, this is not right." Caleb had dropped her hand and glared at her.

  "I'm sorry, Caleb. I used to do this in New York all the time when cameras were following me. It became my survival for my privacy."

  "We're going home out the front door." Caleb put his hand on the small of her back and led her out the front door. Fortunately, there weren't any paparazzi in sight and they walked purposely to the truck.

  "I'm sorry," said Ally quietly. "I didn't mean to ruin the day. We were having such a good time." Caleb said nothing, but the steely expression on his face indicated his anger. Nothing she could do or say would change his mind. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked out the window.

  When they arrived at Ally's house, Caleb finally spoke. "Ally, I really like you, but this fan thing is getting out of hand. We can't go anywhere without being interrupted and I don't like it."

  "Caleb, I'm sorry, but I don't know how to make it stop. Why do you think I moved here? This is nothing like I had in New York. It's a part of me that I can't change. I only hope as time goes on that I can drop out of the limelight and people will leave me alone."

  "I don't like it." Caleb's gaze appeared flat as he stared at Ally.

  "Then, I guess this means goodnight." Ally's voice started to crack and she couldn't say another word. She scrambled out of the truck and Caleb didn't stop her. She ran to the front door, but Caleb had already peeled away in a cloud of dust.

  Tank had been waiting for her in eager anticipation and by now Ally shook with anger. She let Tank out and while she paced the house, throwing pillow cushions at the floor. Caleb and she were done. They had just started and now it had been ruined. All because of who people who wouldn't mind their own business. She thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't said a word to Kat about this. Kat would probably notice Caleb wouldn't be around anymore and she could easily change the subject by saying, 'you were right, Kat. I didn't think this through.' Kat wouldn't be home until Tuesday. Ally felt restless. She did have a couple of friends in New York she could talk to, but they had dropped her while she had been seeing Greg. He hadn't liked any of them, so in order to please Greg, she had stopped seeing them. What a stupid thing do.

  Tank's excessive barking brought Ally to reality and she gladly let him in. She fussed over him and fed him his dinner. Ally wasn't at all hungry and glanced over at the clock to check the time which showed eight. She didn't care about the hour and decided to go to the gym to exercise to exhaust her restlessness. She grabbed her bag and turned off her phone. Ally got to the gym in record time and worked until her muscles were screaming, but now she thought clearly. She had a plan that had her going to Houston until Wednesday. She would take Tank with her because she had to get away. One problem, though, she had to clear it with her parents.

  The house looked dark when Ally got home, just the way she had left it due to her mood. Once inside, she flipped on the lights and let Tank out. Using her land line, she called her parents.

  "Dad? It's me, Ally."

  "What's wrong, Ally? It's late to be calling."

  "I'm sorry, Daddy. I'll make this quick. Kat is away until Tuesday and I felt kind of lonesome. I figured I'd come down to see your new house."

  "Your mother and I would love to see you. When would you get here?"

  "I'll leave first thing in the morning so I can be there around lunch. By the way, Tank is coming, too, since I can't get him in a kennel on a Sunday."

  "Can't Caleb watch him? His farm is big enough."

  "Uh, no, Daddy, Caleb has a farm to run."

  "Well, then, we'll see you tomorrow."

  "Great." Ally hung up and now and her stomach growled. She quickly ate her dinner then prepared for her trip to Houston.

  Ally finally went to bed, but couldn't fall asleep, reliving the whole day over and over in her head. Nope, she and Caleb were not meant to be. If she were behaving like Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears, he would have a point. She had been trying her best to fade away into obscurity. Ally glanced at the cowboy hat on the chair, wondering what to do with it. Sighing, Ally got up and hid the hat deep inside her closet. She then got dressed and loaded up the car. She and Tank were on their way to Houston.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Caleb slammed the truck door shut, madder than hell at the way the day had turned out. Why couldn't people leave Ally alone? Why did he have to fall in love with a supermodel anyway? If the media were to keep treating her this way, he couldn't take it. Caleb had grown used to being a private person and he wanted it to stay that way. You never saw Trace Adkin's wife on television nor did you see any of the country stars spouses. Shaking his head, he went into the house and headed directly to the bar. He poured a healthy shot of whiskey and threw it back in a flash. He poured another then noticed Jeb standing in the room looking at him strangely.

  "You're home early?"

  "Yup." Caleb sighed and put the drink down, feeling he owed Jeb an explanation. "How are the cattle?"

  "They're doing better than you."

  "Things didn't go as planned." Caleb hung his head and took a swipe at his hair which fell into his eyes. "People just won't leave Ally alone. They go after her like a dog in heat. They don't care what she's doing; they feel like they can just go up to her and interrupt any ole time they want to. I can't handle that, Jeb. Here I had planned this whole day with her because of this, it's ruined. I didn't even take her to dinner because of it. You know I like my privacy."

  "Did Ally do anything to provoke attention? I mean did she wave her hand and say; 'I'm Ally Duncan'?" asked Jeb.

  "No, well, yes. She did draw the attention of a clown which is how she got her face on the camera at the stadium. But I guess she didn't mean to."

  "She's a pretty woman and, of course, people are going to notice her. From what she's told me, she doesn't like it either, Caleb. Said that's why she moved down here, to get away from it." Jeb looked at Caleb reproachfully. "Could be you're just jealous because you wanted her undivided attention."

  "No, that's not it," defended Caleb. "I know Ally likes me, but I can't live like that. I don't know how famous couples stay together with all these dang reporters and people pokin' into their lives."

  "It's called love, Caleb. When you love someone, you deal with it." Jeb shook his head. "I guess you don't really love her, then. Poor thing, she didn't do anything wrong, but to be born pretty. Kind of like a curse." Jeb turned to leave when Caleb stopped him.

  "You're making me feel like a heel.” Caleb felt like kicking himself.

  "Suit yourself." Jeb left the room.

  "I'm not." Caleb sat back down in the chair and thought about what Jeb had said and it had rung true. Ally had not wanted to begin a relationship because of what
had happened before and here Caleb had forced one. Ally hadn't done anything wrong, which made this even harder. He had been selfish one and now he had hurt her. What could he say to Ally? 'I'm sorry, we had fun, but now I know how life with you would be, I don't want you anymore?' Isn't that what he implied tonight? Caleb rubbed his eyes tiredly. His brain hurt, but not as much as his heart.

  Caleb met Jeb the next morning, who said nothing about Ally for which Caleb silently thanked him. Caleb had felt a little chill from Gracie as she served them breakfast, but he tried to ignore it. Hell, he felt lower than a belly on a snake about the whole day yesterday. As they worked the herds of cattle, Caleb glanced over at Ally's place only to find it deserted. He started thinking about what she had said about going back to New York to finish up some contracts. Could it be this week or the next? He couldn't remember and kicked himself for not paying attention. Jeb urged Caleb to ride on, knowing that Caleb just stared at Ally's house and didn't concentrate on his chores.