by Lois Kasznia
"Is this true?" The security guard glared at Greg.
"Look, buddy. I'm in love with this woman and I'm trying to talk some sense into her. Help me out." Greg pleaded his case.
"Obviously, I 'm not interested, Greg. I'm with a real man, not some two-timing, or should I say three-timing weasel like you."
"As y'all can see, this man is bothering this lady," said Caleb. His arm draped possessively around Ally's shoulders.
"I'm going to ask you nicely to leave, sir." The security guard took Greg's arm to lead him out, but Greg shook it off.
"You can't ask me to leave. I haven't done anything."
"Yes, you have, sir. You're bothering this lady and we down here in Texas don't take kindly to it."
"Ally," pleaded Greg.
"Leave me alone, Greg. I mean it." Ally shook with anger.
"You might want to put out a restraining order," said the security guard to Ally as be led Greg out of the club. "If you want to leave now, I can hold him so you can get out without him bothering you."
"I'm ready," said Ally as she turned to Caleb who too, seethed with anger, his hands clenched into fists.
"Let's go, Ally." Caleb led her out the door while the manager gave then a ticket for a free dinner.
"I'm sorry," said Ally as Caleb started the truck. "I had no idea." She shook her head.
"You didn't know he'd be there. It's not your fault."
"Thanks for being there for me." Ally looked at him in admiration.
"Did you mean it when you said you're with a real man?"
"Absolutely." Ally squeezed is hand.
"Good." Caleb smiled as he drove Ally home.
"You're coming in, right?” Ally reached for the door handle of the truck.
"Ally? You're stuck with me for a long time."
Chapter Twenty-One
Ally awoke with a start. Gently pushing Caleb away, she reached for her robe and threw it on. She set out to investigate the noise she heard outside besides the low growl of Tank outside the door.
"What's going on?" Ally's movements had caused Caleb to awaken.
"There's a strange noise outside in the back."
"Where's your gun?" whispered Caleb.
"It's in the drawer of my nightstand." Ally reached in and handed it to Caleb. She opened the door and stepped outside. The noise grew louder.
"Sounds like a truck," commented Caleb as he followed Ally upstairs for a better look in her back yard, including his pasture.
"Look," whispered Ally. "Someone is parked outside my back fence on your property. I don't see the squad car."
"Ally, call the police. I'm going out there."
"You can't go out there, suppose you get hurt?"
"Trust me, Ally. I know what I'm doing." Caleb kissed her soundly.
"Okay." Ally couldn't hide the concerned look from her face. "I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you."
"It's not," said Caleb gruffly and tousled her hair. He turned and ran downstairs, striding quietly through the back door, then along the fence. He could see an oversized pickup truck with just the running lights on and he counted at least three young men in the cab of the truck. Caleb remained quiet, straining to hear any conversation.
"Are you sure this is her house?" One of the men opened the passenger door and peered into the dark.
"I'm pretty sure. Hey, watch it, y'all just spilled my beer."
"Too bad assholes, now quiet. Wynne said she has a big ole mean dog and to be careful of him."
"Y'all flush out the dog and then we can get inside."
"What about Caleb Strait? Do y'all think he can see us here?"
"Nope, I checked it out the other day. His house is too far away from here and he's probably in bed."
"What if she's not home?"
"Trust me, she's in there and I can't wait to get my hands on her." They all giggled and slapped each other on the back.
Caleb had heard enough and at the same time the police cruiser came into view with the car lights off. Now he had some back up. He stepped up to the fence and pointed the gun at the three of them. "You boys lost? Y'all are on my property."
"Shit! It's Caleb Strait. Get back in the truck and get the hell out of here." The three of them jumped back into the truck and started to tear away, but not before Caleb shot out two of the tires. The vehicle slowed somewhat, but tried to take off again, riding roughly on the rims. The police cruiser put its lights on and went after the truck at breakneck speed, while a second cruiser arrived on the scene. They boxed the truck in and Caleb heard them warning the men to come out with their hands up.
Those boys pissed off Caleb. How did they get onto his property? They obviously had been scoping out his land for a long time. It also made him wonder if they had broken one of his fences to get in. But it irritated him to no end that they were after Ally. He turned slowly to go back into the house, only to find Ally standing in the kitchen waiting for him. Caleb hurried his step.
"Well?" she asked as he came in the door.
"It's the kids again. Ally, it's you they wanted."
"What?" Ally's face had paled. "They are after me? Caleb, what am I going to do?" The situation wrenched Caleb's heart.
"First off, I'm filing a restraining order. Second, I'm talking to the rangers. Then, you and I are going to improve your shot. I want to see what you have when shooting a piece.”
"No problem. I'm pretty darn good. But you should go home now and talk to Jeb," said Ally. "It's almost three in the morning.”
"Come with me. I can't leave you by yourself."
"I can't. What about Tank? Kat and I have a brunch we're doing tomorrow. I'll be okay."
"Ally, if I have to pick you up screaming and kicking, I will. I can't leave you here alone." Caleb didn't mean to sound harsh, but Ally needed to focus. "Tank is fine and I'll have you home after breakfast."
"Okay." Ally knew better than to argue with him. Caleb's temper had really reached the boiling point and she didn't blame him one bit. "Let me grab some stuff and I'll be ready in five minutes." Ally turned on her heel and ran to her bedroom and packed an overnight bag. She changed into jeans and sweater, slipped on some boots and waited for Caleb as he filled Tank's water bowl. She smiled at his thoughtfulness and shook her head. Every day he proved to be even more wonderful.
They climbed into Caleb's truck neither one saying a word. They could still see the cruisers in the pasture and Caleb wondered why. He pulled the truck into the garage and Ally quietly followed him into the house. "You know where my bedroom is, so go ahead. I have to talk to Jeb. He's probably up by now."
"I don't think I can sleep, Caleb. Is there anything I can do?" Ally searched his eyes and saw her answer. Okay, then. She knew how to take a hint. "Call me if you need anything." She turned on her heel, but Caleb grabbed her elbow holding her in place.
"Ally, I'm sorry. I'm just so pissed off. Somebody's messing with my property, my cattle and now my girlfriend. I did not want to end the night this way." Caleb pulled Ally into a warm hug. "I wanted to wake up with you kissin' me, lovin' me, fixin' me breakfast and then I would have a great day."
"You can still do that, you know." Ally smiled seductively. "I'll try and get your bed warmed, but I don't think Gracie would want me in her kitchen."
"We'll see, Ally." Caleb chuckled and some of the tension left his eyes as he kissed her. "If you want to take a shower, go right ahead."
"Okay." Ally smiled as she went to his bedroom. Girlfriend? Wait a minute. She turned around, but Caleb had already gone. They needed to talk about their status.
Ally found her way to the bedroom and set her backpack down on the floor. The bed felt luxuriously soft as she bounced to test the mattress. Ally located her pajamas and changed into it before she slipped underneath the covers. She smiled at Caleb’s scent on the linens and fell asleep before she knew it.
"I tell you, Jeb. I'm going to kill those kids." Caleb had knocked on Jeb's bedroom door madder than a wet
cat. Jeb had just gotten his clothes on and Gracie threw on a robe.
"What happened?" asked Gracie.
"Those damn kids were on my property again and were after Ally. Since Ally's gate had been locked, they went through my property to try and get to her. If she hadn't seen them out there, they might have succeeded. She called the police while I went out to investigate. They were drunk and looking for her."
"She's not still over there, is she?" asked Gracie alarmed.
"No, she's here and the police have the men right now." He turned to Jeb. "We have to fix that fence because of the cows." His phone rang. "It's the Sheriff. He wants to talk to us so we'll meet him out there." Caleb turned and left with Jeb right behind him.
"Those boys drove straight through the fence," explained the Sheriff has he pointed in the direction of the road. "Y'all need to get that fixed right away. Look here on the bumper of the truck. It's all bashed in where they took it down. Those boys were higher than a kite and looking for Ally. They wanted to kidnap her so they could have some fun with her. They didn't know Caleb had been watching them, but saw the two of you at the bar." He directed that statement to Caleb.
"I want to press charges and also put out a restraining order on them. If they go anywhere near my property or Ally's," began Caleb.
"Hush, Caleb," said Jeb and turned to the sheriff. "Caleb's been losing cattle so we have rangers out here. We need to nip this in the bud. What else can we do besides shoot at these fellows? Why aren't these kids in jail? So what if Caleb had been seen at the bar with Ally? He promised her daddy he would take care of her."
"It just doesn't look good for ladies to go to bars," stated the Sheriff.
"She's with me," stated Caleb. "That's not bar hopping."
"I need to see Ally, too." The sheriff stared at hole into Caleb.
"I'll go get her." Caleb climbed up on Thor and rode hard and fast back to the barn. He handed Thor over to the stable hand and went to get Ally. He hoped she had taken his advice and tried to sleep. Looked like a long day for her. Sure enough. as he entered the bedroom, he saw Ally sound asleep on his side of the bed. She looked so young and sweet. He tried hard to control his desire for her because they had things to do.
"Hey there," said Ally softly sensing Caleb's presence. "You don't look happy, what's up?" Ally did not like the expression on Caleb's face.
"The police are here and we need to file charges. Are you up to it?"
"How long will it take? I have to meet Kat by nine. What time is it?"
"It's going on four-thirty in the morning."
"Caleb, you're turning me into a rancher already."
Caleb gently raised her chin and kissed her. "You continue to show me how dull things were around here until you showed up."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Ally softly stroked Caleb's the stubble of his beard. "Let me get ready, it will only take me a minute."
"This is my room, too," laughed Caleb. "I need to shave and change clothes."
"Don't shave," laughed Ally. "Your beard makes you look mean."
"Let me at least brush my teeth," said Caleb as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
Ally quickly changed into her clothes and ran a comb through her hair. Feeling guilty, she made the bed and waited for Caleb to come out. When he did, she rushed in to splash water on her face and brushed her teeth. However, Caleb opened the door and watched her.
"Hey." Ally smiled at Caleb's intrusion.
"You could have watched me," pointed out Caleb.
"If I watched you, we'd still be in here." Ally smiled wickedly at him.
"You're so bad." Caleb came up behind her and put his arms around her. "Then you'll owe me."
"Right," drawled Ally and they left hand in hand and headed out until Gracie stopped them.
"I made some coffee and biscuits. You don't know how long it's going to take and you'll need some breakfast."
"Thanks, Gracie," said Ally as she accepted the food.
Armed with coffee and food, Ally felt she would get through the day. "How long do you think this will take?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"If it gets too late, I'll have to call Kat."
"What are you going to tell Kat?" Caleb briefly caught Ally's eyes.
"What do you mean?" asked Ally confused. "Those kids knocked down your fence trying to kidnap me and I called the police while you went out... oh." The realization set in. "I see. How do I tell Kat about you and me last night?"
"So..." asked Caleb quietly.
"It's not any of her business what I do," said Ally firmly. "I'm a grown woman and I can do what I want."
"Why are you afraid to tell Kat about us?" Caleb gave Ally a challenging stare.
"Oh Caleb," sighed Ally. "For the record, last night turned out to be the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"Why won't you?"
"Oh, all right." Ally thought quietly for a minute before she continued."It has nothing to do with you. You don't know what it's like to be her little sister. If I tell her, she's going to lecture me about how I don't think things through. I've only known you for a short time, blah, blah, blah." Ally squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "Then she's going to ask me if you and I are a couple?" Ally looked out the window and said softly, "I don't know what to tell her?" She brought her gaze back to Caleb.
"What do you want it to be, Ally?" asked Caleb softly.
"I know what I want it to be, but what do you want it to be?"
Caleb took a long time before he answered her. "You're right. I'm not ready to answer that question yet, either." Ally felt like she had been hit with a tire iron. She followed Caleb out the door to find the sheriff.
****
"Hey, Ally. You're early." Kat smiled at her little sister and then looked more closely. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," said Ally a bit too brightly. She had agonized about telling Kat everything and then decided not to. Obviously, Caleb and she were poles apart on their relationship. She had done it again, Ms. Impetuous Ally.
"How's Caleb?" Kat probed.
"I guess he's okay, I haven't talked to him much." No, according to him we just had sex. That's all it meant to him.
"That's unusual. I thought he would say something about the meeting."
"Nope, not to me." Ally helped Kat carry in the plates of steaming food. The smell of food made Ally feel nauseous. "What is this?"
"It's an authentic Texas egg dish. Wait until you try it. It's delicious."
"Uh, no, I think I'll pass." Ally had to turn her head.
"Ally, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Kat would not drop it.
"Okay, okay." Ally knew she had to stall Kat before she went too far. "You know those kids? They're back. Last night they had a plan to kidnap me and hold me as their sex slave. I had to call the police and have them arrested." Ally shook her head. "I'm thinking about going back to New York for good. I've never had anything like this happen to me."
"Oh, Ally. I'm so sorry, you poor thing." Kat hugged her sister. "Do you want to stay with me for a while?"
"Thanks, but, no." Ally knew her attitude focused on Caleb, not the incident. She couldn't even tell Kat about Greg. "I'll be fine. I guess I just need a little sleep."
"When are you scheduled to go to New York again?"
"Next week. At first, I hadn't been looking forward to it, but now I am."
"Don't you dare move back there, Ally Duncan. You're doing fine here."
"Am I? Everything that could go wrong with my house has. Even my car and if I hear 'welcome to Texas' one more time, I'm going to shoot that person."
"Just think, this time next year, you'll be laughing at all of this. You will toughen up." Kat gave Ally a warm hug.
"Yeah, right." Ally plastered a smile on her face as they went in the house to serve the brunch.
Ally felt exhausted after the brunch, but encouraged that they received at least three more dates for next week. Ally had forgotten
her laptop and camera and made a note to mark the new dates into the file she had built purposely for this very reason. But first of all, she needed sleep. Ally grabbed her mail before pulling into the garage. "Nothing but bills," she muttered silently.
"Tank?” Ally looked for him as she opened the garage door. Normally he would be right at the door. "Tank, boy, where are you?" A little frightened, she started to search the house looking into every room. She didn't leave him out, did she? Ally had been so upset when she got home this morning, she couldn't remember anything about Tank. Fighting down hysteria she finally found him in the laundry room hiding. The smell of dog poop wafted prominently in the hallway and Ally sighed, relieved and mad at herself. She had never let the poor dog out. "Tank, Mom is so sorry," cooed Ally and finally convinced Tank to come out of his hole. "You poor thing," Ally let him out while she cleaned up the mess and when he barked to come back inside, she gave him an extra treat. "I've been a mess, Tank. Once again, my bad luck with men goes on." Tank followed her into the bedroom, happy that he didn't get a scolding and watched as Ally lay down on her bed.
