When The Runway Went South

by Lois Kasznia

  "Make sure you charge your phone, too, in case we lose power. I have a generator because I can't afford to lose power."

  "Lose power? What are you talking about?" Ally started to get nervous. Well, she'd been without power before, but not alone in such a big house. "Should I get a generator?"

  "It wouldn't hurt. If I'm not too busy tomorrow, why don't we go looking for one? I can show you how to work it."

  "It's a date," breathed Ally in relief. "Kat is coming over tomorrow, but she didn't say what time."

  "If there's an emergency, just call me. I've got to get ready in case this storm really comes through."

  "Thanks, Caleb. Other than this bite, I had a really good time today."

  "You're welcome," replied Caleb, his voice husky with desire.

  "We can do this Tank," said Ally as she prepared for bed. She had a flashlight on her night stand as well as her cell phone charged. Ally had tested the radio to make sure it worked in the 'fraidy hole and then added some bottled water. Then she thought about food and stuffed some crackers as well as dog cookies into the room..In the bedroom, Tank seemed restless and started to pace, his nails clicking on the wood floor keeping Ally awake.

  "Tank, settle down. How am I going to get any sleep?" Ally petted him soothingly and he soon calmed down. Ally picked up a book and began to read and soon she fell sound asleep.

  The first crack of thunder jarred her awake and Tank began to whimper. "Whoa, talk about loud." Ally hopped out of bed and looked out the window. The rain came down sideways and the lightning strikes were abundant. By this time, Tank had gone into her walk-in closet to hide. "You never used to be afraid of storms," commented Ally. "Tank, come on, out." No way would he come out. He looked at Ally as if she had lost her mind. "Tank, I don't want my closet smelling like dog. Now, come out." Ally's frustration grew stronger when another crack of thunder bellowed and then the power went off. "Great," mumbled Ally and she reached for a flashlight. The house was eerily quiet, but lightening kept it well lit. Ally jumped when the security system set off an alarm.

  "Okay," she said to Tank. "This is freaking me out." Ally stared at the dark outside. All she could see turned black from the clouds. She listened for the sound of a train, because she remembered reading how people described an approaching tornado. "This is ridiculous. It’s just a storm," she told Tank. Ally got her slippers on and using the flashlight, she walked into the 'fraidy hole and turned on the radio. She soon heard the tip-tap of Tank's nails on the floor and he joined her in the closet. Because of the pitch of the roof of the house, the wind sounded eerily throughout like the soundtrack of a horror movie. Within an hour, the power came back on and the clocks on the microwave began to blink indicating they needed to be reset. Ally shuffled back to her bedroom when her phone rang.

  "How did you survive?" asked Caleb.

  "How did you know I was awake?"

  "Figured you would be awake; it was loud enough to wake the dead."

  "I did okay until we lost power. I kind of freaked out at first. But poor Tank, I mean he totally freaked out and hid in my bedroom closet." Ally couldn't stop laughing.

  "I told you Tank was a chicken."

  "I guess you’re right, but at least he looks mean. So, how about buying that generator?"

  "We'll do it tomorrow."

  "Any more storms coming?"

  "Don't rightly know. Jeb says maybe. He's in the barn checking up on things."

  "Thanks for calling," said Ally gently.

  "I'm just being neighborly."

  "That's all?" asked Ally.

  "Yup, gotta go." Caleb seemed somewhat brusque.

  Disappointed, Ally shrugged her shoulders. Caleb sent a lot of mixed signals. She glanced at the clock and crawled back into bed. Tank fell sound asleep on his pillow in the corner of the room. Ally soon followed suit.

  Ally rolled over as Tank pawed at her. "Now what?" His stub of a tail wagged back and forth as he paced. "Do you have to go out?" Tank seemed to nod and ran to the patio doors to go out. "Hold on, hold on." Ally shoved her feet into her slippers and grabbed a robe. The sun had started to peek out of the clouds, so Ally could somewhat see. She had almost opened the door when she noticed the herd of Caleb's steer in her backyard. "Oh, no." She grabbed Tank by the collar and pulled him back inside. "We're going out the front door for now." Poor Tank wiggled because he had to go so badly. Ally quickly clamped a leash on his collar and dragged him out the front door, just in time. Still shaken about seeing all those animals in her back yard, she tried to figure out what had happened. Suppose they tried to come into the house?

  Tank finished his duties and Ally ran to the patio door to take a better look at what happened. It appeared that not only did her fence blow down, but so did a part of Caleb's fence as well. She then noticed her pool had turned as black as a pond. It had overflowed into the landscaping. Her outdoor kitchen appeared to be intact, but some of the cattle were starting to wander nearby. Ally grabbed her cell phone and called Caleb.

  "What's wrong, Ally?" Caleb sounded tired.

  "Your cattle are in my back yard. Caleb, one of them is checking out my outdoor kitchen by the pool."

  "You know we had a tornado last night. It just missed us or so I thought." Caleb swung out of bed, cradling the phone with his shoulder as he put on his pants.

  "Your fence and mine are down," reported Ally.

  "Don't go out. Stay put." Caleb ended the call and grabbed his boots. He whistled for Rex and ran out the door. Jeb hearing the commotion, quickly followed Caleb.

  "What is it?" Jeb asked Caleb as he tried to catch up.

  "Ally said our fence is down." Caleb quickly saddled Thor as Jeb saddled his horse. Together they rode towards Ally's and saw the damage.

  "Let's round them up," said Jeb and Rex started to do his job. He ran around the cattle yapping and biting at their heels, while Jeb and Caleb herded them back into their pasture. The animals took off in a thundering herd, with the exception of one baby calf. Caleb expertly lassoed the poor animal and reunited it with the mother. Ally watched in amazement at Caleb's skill and fell even more in love with him if that were possible.

  "My hero," murmured Ally as she walked back into the bedroom and fell over one of Tank's toys with a thud. "I am such a klutz," muttered Ally as she tried to get up gracefully.

  Chapter Twenty

  "You should've seen it last night," said Ally as Kat looked out the window towards the pastures. "There were cows everywhere."

  "Ally, why do these things always happen to you?" Kat shook her head. "You're going to need to have your fence fixed and, my God, look at your pool."

  "I know," sighed Ally.

  "Okay, little sister. What did you want me to see?" Kat wanted to get down to business seeing she had another party to work on.

  "Little sister? Ha! You'll be glad you've got me as a little sister. Look at this!" Ally had booted up her laptop and opened an Excel spreadsheet. "Since I started tracking what you're spending and what you're bringing in, you have grossed closed to seventy five hundred dollars in one month. How about that?"

  "What? You've got to be kidding?" Kat's eyes were wide open.

  "And you thought I didn't know how to handle this." Ally shook her head. "I'll begin where the bank loaned you five-thousand dollars to start; here's where I've kept up with all the receipts you've given me for your food, this column represents what I've spent on marketing and this column is the payments you've deposited into your bank account. Sister, I think you can buy yourself a new phone."

  "Where's your cut into this, Ally? Look at all the work you've put into it." Kat had a point.

  "This is my contribution, Kat. Once you get rocking and rolling with more business, then we will decide on what I should get paid. One thing I do want to point out is you might want to hire someone part time to cover for me when I have to run to New York."

  "I don't know of anyone." Kat frowned, deep in thought. "Then again…one of my neighbor's has offered t
o help out if I ever needed it. What should I pay her?"

  "There's two ways you can do this, Kat. If she's just a standby, you could pay her a percentage of the party or just a flat rate. Whatever you feel comfortable doing, it's your business." Ally smiled at her sister.

  "Ally, I love you! Did I ever tell you how glad I am you moved here?"

  "Yeah, you have." Ally gave Kat a big hug.

  "Rather than the phone, I could use some additional pots and pans," said Kat thoughtfully.

  "Get what you need, but remember to let me know." Ally stopped as Kat's phone rang and waited while she took the call.

  "Are you ready for another gig?" Kat smiled.

  "Let's go." Ally grabbed her keys and they took off.

  "You and Kat took off like a bull chasing a rider," said Caleb when Ally answered her phone.

  "Caleb." Ally smiled, thrilled to hear from him. "How are you?"

  "Tired, but I'll live." Caleb loved to hear the tenderness in Ally's voice. "I thought we were to go shopping for a generator today."

  "Oh Caleb, you're right. I'm so sorry. Kat and I were talking business and we kind of got carried away." Ally looked at her watch. "We still have time. It's only four. How about I treat you to dinner?"

  "Well, this is getting better by the minute. Are you driving?"

  "I don't think a generator would fit into my car. Unless you want me drive your truck? I've never driven a truck before, but I guess I could learn."

  "Not with my truck, you're not. I'll drive."

  "I am not a bad driver, Caleb."

  "I've seen you take off, Ally. What do you get for gas mileage?"

  "I don't keep track. You sound like my dad."

  "Point taken, I'm driving and I'll pick you up in about fifteen minutes. I know another place we can go for dinner." Caleb disconnected the call, anxious to see Ally.

  "Caleb sometimes acts like my father, but then again, wow," mumbled Ally as she went to get dressed. Looking into her closet, she chose a pair of designer jeans and a lavender button down silk shirt. Ally then picked a pair of boots to wear under her jeans and fluffed her hair.

  Caleb rang the door bell and Ally smiled at him as she opened the door.

  "Hey," said Ally shyly, overwhelmed by the intense look in Caleb's eyes.

  "Hey, yourself," replied Caleb and he bent down to kissed her, slowly and thoroughly.

  "Keep that up, Caleb, and who cares about a generator?" breathed Ally as her knees started to fold.

  "I'm up for that," murmured Caleb as he kissed her again.

  "No, we can save it for later. We have a generator to buy and I have to pay for dinner," said Ally firmly.

  "You're no fun." Caleb still eyed her greedily.

  "I am, too, and you know it. Now, come on because the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can come back here."

  "Did anyone ever tell you that you are a bossy woman?"

  "Yeah, they did." Ally laughed and pulled Caleb's hand toward the truck. They both climbed in and fastened their seatbelts.

  "Ready?"

  "Yes. Where are we going?"

  "For the generator, we'll go to where I get all of my farm supplies. I know the guys and can get you a good discount."

  "Thanks." Ally hesitated for minute before continuing, "What's your fee for taking me there?"

  "Ally, you owe me big time." Caleb's gaze went pure lust as he squeezed her thigh.

  "I hope I have enough." Ally met his gaze. "Where are we going to dinner?"

  "Place in Las Calinas. Nice place."

  "Expensive?" asked Ally.

  “Oh yeah, baby. You're paying, right?"

  "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Ally laughed. "Seriously, I don't know the first thing about generators."

  "I do," said Caleb. "So I'll pick it out and you pay for it."

  "At this place in Las Calinas, do you need reservations?"

  "Yup. I made them for seven. It gives us time to get there."

  "Is it far?" Ally asked.

  "Nope. We're here."

  "This is your store?" Ally looked at a large, aluminum building surrounded by countless pickup trucks. "I've never been to a place like this before."

  "I know. That's why you're with me. Let's go." Caleb grabbed Ally's hand as they walked through a maze of farm equipment and Ally felt totally lost. Caleb successfully guided her to where they had the generators and picked one out for her.

  "I'm still lost," she told Caleb as she paid the bill.

  "You'll learn. I'll install it, but you have to learn how to use it." Caleb stored the box in the bed of his covered truck.

  "Thanks," said Ally and she leaned over and kissed him.

  "You're tempting me to turn around and go home." Caleb took her into his arms.

  "I know," murmured Ally. "I could fix something for you."

  "No, I can't let you get out of this one. Not every day a lady buys dinner for me." Caleb reluctantly let Ally go and they headed for Las Calinas.

  "Okay, this I'm used to," said Ally when they arrived. The building hosted an ultra modern look and included a night club. "This is like a New York type of place," commented Ally as she looked around.

  "Don't be surprised if you see somebody famous. But we're a bit too early. They usually come around eleven or so, I'll take you to the club later for an after dinner drink."

  "Fine with me," said Ally as they were lead to their table. They were seated promptly and dinner went off without a hitch. Several people glanced at Ally, but no one interrupted them. Ally and Caleb talked non-stop about the farm and the catering business. The only time anyone said something to Ally happened towards the end of the meal, when the waitress asked for her autograph. Ally politely signed a card and if Caleb felt upset, he didn't show it.

  They meandered to the night club area, which had filled up considerably. Caleb located a table so they could sit down. Ally continued to people watch and took in the entire scene.

  "This is why I left New York. We would always do this after photo shoots and it gets old fast." She turned to Caleb. "I like my house and especially the view in my backyard." Ally smiled seductively at him.

  "Good to know. I just wanted to see if you really missed these kinds of places. So, when you go to New York, will you be back?" Caleb stared at Ally intensely.

  "You're afraid I won't come back?" Ally shook her head. "Caleb, of course I'll come back." She took his hands and squeezed them tightly. Something caught Ally's attention and she became as white as a ghost. "What's he doing here? Caleb, we have to go." Ally got up and grabbed her purse.

  "Ally, what's wrong?" Caleb stood up and moved to Ally's side.

  "It's my ex-boyfriend, Greg. What is he doing here? I don't want him to see us. I mean me." She tried to grab Caleb's hand, but he wouldn't budge.

  "Ally, sit down. I won't let Greg ruin our night together. So what if he sees you with me? It's over between you two, isn't it?"

  "Caleb, you don't understand. I want absolutely nothing to do with him." Then it happened. Greg had found her.

  "Ally," pleaded Greg as tried to hug Ally, but she pushed him away. "I came to Dallas to look for you and you're right here under my nose. We have some serious talking to do." Greg totally ignored Caleb until he stood and towered over him.

  "I don't believe we've met and the lady is not at all happy to see you." Caleb used his body as a shield between Ally and Greg.

  "Who are you?" Greg eyed him suspiciously. "Say, you're not the fellow who answered her phone the other night, are you?"

  "One and the same," replied Caleb.

  "Ally, tell him who I am."

  "I think he's figured out who you are, Greg. I told you to leave me alone." Ally glared defiantly at him.

  "Now you see here," demanded Greg, his index finger pointed in Caleb's face. "I'm Ally's fiancé. What are you doing with her?"

  "No, I'm not," cried Ally. "Greg, why can't you listen to me?" Ally motioned with her hands. "We are through!"

  "I th
ink you better listen to the lady," said Caleb in a deadly voice. By now, the discussion had quite a few people's attention. Security personnel showed up out of nowhere.

  "What seems to be the problem here?" The biggest man Ally had ever seen confronted Greg.

  "This man is with my fiancé," replied Greg using his 'lawyer' voice.

  "I am not his fiancé; I broke up with him months ago. He's not even from around here. He's from New York and he somehow followed me down here," explained Ally.