When The Runway Went South

by Lois Kasznia

  But Ally couldn't sleep. The bed smelled too much like Caleb, so she got up and stripped the bed down, including the covers and threw them into the wash. She found another set of sheets and made the bed. Now, the bed smelled Caleb-free and Ally tried once more to go to sleep. She tossed and turned until she finally dozed off.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  "You still are coming, right, Ally?" Once again, Henri had called Ally at seven in the morning.

  "Yeah, I'll be there," mumbled Ally still not quiet awake. "You haven't sent me my tickets.”

  "That's because you will be flying on our corporate jet. Just be at Love Field at nine sharp Monday morning, got it?"

  "Okay." Ally yawned.

  "How do you look?"

  "Asleep?" Ally smiled. "I look better than ever. I'm miserable and will have that wan and willowy look going that you like so much."

  "Are you miserable because you miss New York?" Henri sounded hopeful.

  "No, because you keep waking me up so early. I'll see you on Monday."

  Ally debated whether or not to get up or go back to sleep. She and Kat had a dinner for tonight, but the empty day loomed ahead of her. Why hadn't Caleb called her? He acted if she had put a gun to his head and said, 'make a decision'. Isn't that just like a man? They didn't want to be backed into a corner.

  She decided not to sit around and wait for him. Ally got up with determination and tackled her usual morning routine. Finishing her coffee, Ally signed online and looked at furniture for the second living area for the house. Okay, now what? She then scanned the health club's website and decided to sign up for a class in the mornings. Afternoons would be tough with her schedule, but she'd have to start the class after she got back from New York. New York. She would take her time to return home. Yes. Maybe Caleb didn't want her anymore, but Kat needed her. Ally grabbed her gym bag and took off. While at the gym, Ally checked her phone only to find out that she had a call from Greg. Drat. Apparently he had stayed in Dallas to look for her, so why should she stay here? She should go to New York early and that way she could avoid him.

  "Kat? It's Ally."

  "You sound upset, Ally. What's wrong?"

  "You're not going to believe it." Ally sighed about which part to tell Kat.

  "What?"

  "Greg. He's in town and he's looking for me."

  "You've got to be kidding," whispered Kat.

  "No. He claims to really love me and wants to take me back to New York."

  "Oh, Ally. How do you get yourself in these messes?" Kat sighed. "Can you put a restraining order on him?"

  "Yes, I can and I will. But first, remember when I said I had planned on going to New York next week? I'm going to leave a little bit earlier, like tomorrow. I'll help you out with the party tonight, but I'm leaving first thing in the morning. I'll be in New York and he can waste his time in Dallas."

  "Do what you need to do. I'll see you tonight."

  Ally then called Henri. "Henri? I need to leave tomorrow rather than Monday. Can it be arranged?"

  "Ally, that's the best news I've heard." Henri sounded overjoyed. "Be at Love Field by nine. There are several parties we can attend now you have more time."

  "Whatever."

  She hung up with Henri and then placed her next call to her father.

  "Dad? Remember you said you'd watch Tank for me when I had to go to New York? Can you be here tomorrow?"

  "Your mother and I were just talking about your trip to New York. We couldn't remember when you told us. As a matter of fact, we can be there tonight. How long will you be away?"

  "I'll be there until next Wednesday. I know it's a long time and if you have to go back home, take Tank with you."

  "We might do that. See you tonight, Ally."

  "Wait, I won't be home so let yourself in. I'm working a dinner with Kat. Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it." Ally hung up the phone and headed home to change and get ready for the week.

  Caleb watched as Ally took off. He had just trotted Thor to the fence when he saw her peel out of the garage at top speed. He'd been miserable and hurt that she hadn't called him, but then again, he hadn't called her, either. He had been thinking of excuses and then remembered he hadn't set up her generator. What a perfect excuse. Once there, Caleb would tell Ally how he viewed their relationship. Casual, go slow. Ally should just tell Kat, that they had started to see each other casually and that's all that has happened at the moment. However, if Ally saw someone else right now, Caleb would kill him. Now that sounded casual, didn't it?

  "Caleb?" Jeb called on his phone.

  "Yup?"

  "Gracie said you should get home quick. Something's on the show she always watches and it's about Ally.”

  "About Ally, I'll be right there." Caleb pushed Thor to his limits and tied him up in front of the house. He ran inside to find Gracie watching the TMZ show.

  "Is this when we were at the rodeo?" he asked Gracie.

  "No. This is here in Dallas. Who is Greg?" Gracie patiently waited for an answer from Caleb.

  "Greg?" Caleb turned his attention to the screen.

  "Ally Duncan's ex-boyfriend has been arrested for harassment outside a Las Calina's restaurant," they reported. "Apparently they had a fight and then when asked to leave, he resisted." A picture of Ally flashed on the screen. "Rumor has it Ally had broken up with him and had been at Cool River Cafe with her new man, when Greg approached them. But according to Greg, he and Ally are still a hot item saying they are practically married." The screen flashed to a scene where Greg stood outside the restaurant with handcuffs on and stated: "This is all a misunderstanding. Ally and I love each other and I want her to come back to New York with me."

  "Any word on the new man's identity?" the reporter asked.

  "No. We didn't see them leave." They ended their report with a chuckle.

  "She doesn't want anything to do with him." Caleb's anger surfaced as he turned to both Gracie and Jeb. "The reason she moved down here was to get away from him. He has girlfriends in other cities and Ally found out about them." Caleb turned back to stare at the television before he continued, "We had just finished dinner and then all of sudden, he showed up. Ally told him to leave her alone and he just wouldn't. I almost punched him, but security arrived faster. Ally is not going to like this at all."

  "I hope she didn't see it," said Gracie.

  "Me too." Caleb shook his head, which pounded with anger "Don't forget we have that meeting tonight. Come on, Jeb. We've got work to do." Unfortunately for Caleb, this business with Ally would have to wait until tomorrow.

  "It's all planned," Ally told Kat as they worked on the dinner. "Mom and Dad are coming tonight. Dad is driving me to the airport tomorrow. I should be back by next Wednesday. Hopefully, Greg will be back in New York by the time I get back to Dallas."

  "Do you know how long Mom and Dad are going to be there? Maybe I should drop by tonight to see them. We're almost done here, so why don't I follow you home?"

  "Let's go." Ally felt almost relieved to be leaving town, away from both Greg and Caleb. Her heart skipped a beat thinking about Caleb. Maybe if she got out of town, she would be over him and could move on.

  "Kat! What a nice surprise," exclaimed Tara as Kat and Ally entered the house.

  "Same here, Mom," said Kat."

  "Thanks for coming on such short notice," said Ally. Both Kat and Ally had agreed not to say anything about Greg.

  "Well, you are our baby, Ally. But we don't want you moving back to New York." Tara glared at her daughter.

  "I'm not, Mom. I've got too much invested in this house and the business." Ally hoped she sounded sincere.

  "You know, I missed my favorite show today," commented Tara as she looked at Ally. "I always watch TMZ."

  "You do?" Ally appeared nonplused

  "Don't worry, Mom," said Kat.” I taped it. Why don't I come and get you tomorrow when Dad takes Ally to the airport? We can watch it together."

  "Sounds like a plan," said Rober
t. "Let's all get to bed. I'm beat."

  Ally slept fitfully and constantly checked her phone. Greg had called a second time and demanded she call him back. He even implied he would stay in Dallas until he found her. No other calls had come in.

  Ally awakened at five, showered and dressed. She made coffee, read the paper before her parents were up. At six, she heard her parents come down the stairs and had everything set for breakfast.

  "Still can't get used to that rooster," commented Tara as she sat down at the table. "Have you told Caleb about him?"

  "What's he going to do? It's a farm," said Robert crossly. "Speaking of Caleb, how is he?"

  "Okay, I guess. I haven't spoken to him in a while." Ally pretended to be disinterested.

  "He's a nice catch, Ally." Tara looked at her with meaning.

  "Mom, please. Let's not go there."

  "Good morning, everyone." Kat let herself in the door and hugged both her mom and dad. "What time are you leaving for the airport?"

  "We should head on out now. Let’s go, Dad." Ally stood up from the table and Kat quickly slid into her seat. She and Tara made plans for the day while Robert and Ally took off for the airport.

  "My Lord," exclaimed Tara as the TMZ segment rolled on. She turned to Kat. "Did you know anything about this?"

  "Not at all, I mean Ally said Greg had bothered her, but I'm more interested in about this night club. She never said a word and I thought she confided everything to me."

  "Would it be Caleb? Is she seeing someone else?" asked Tara. "I didn't think Ally would do something like that, did you?"

  "I think our Miss Ally has some explaining to do." Kat reached for the phone, but then checked her watch. "She's already on her flight and won't be able to answer her phone."

  "Do you think she's going to New York early to avoid Greg?" Tara started to put two and two together.

  "I think so, Mom." Kat fumed at her little sister.

  "Looks like Ally's parents are here," commented Jeb as they drove past Ally's house. "The wife seemed a little bit flighty, but I really liked her father."

  "Yeah, I wonder why they're here. Ally didn't mention anything."

  "But you haven't seen Ally for a while." Jeb studied Caleb closely. "Is there trouble in paradise?"

  "We're just trying to determine what our relationship is." Caleb still had a hard time talking about this with Jeb.

  "Sounds like y'all got cold feet again. Is it because of her ex?"

  "No. I know she doesn't like him. Look, I really don't want to talk about it."

  "Fine by me." Jeb clamped his mouth shut.

  Pulling into the garage, both men got out of the truck and headed in different directions. Caleb headed into his room to change into riding clothes. He needed a good hard ride to get rid of his tension and think about Ally. God, he missed her. With a purpose, he strode into the barn to gather Thor who whinnied at the site of Caleb. "Hey, buddy," said Caleb softly while he saddled the magnificent animal. Eager to get on his way, Caleb rode out, letting Thor take the lead. The horse sensed Caleb's restlessness and took off like a shot. Riding like this, set Caleb to do some serious soul searching. Okay. He admitted he behaved like an ass. What made it so hard to answer Ally's question? Could he be ready to make a commitment? Ally occupied his mind constantly. Perhaps if he could just admit this, he would get his mind back on track of his life. Caleb knew he hadn't been pulling his weight around the farm; he had been so caught up in Ally. Caleb let Thor slow down, getting some much needed rest. He got off the horse and led him to the pond for a drink of water. Taking out his phone, Caleb left a text message for Ally.

  How about dinner tonight? My treat

  Shoot. Her parents were here. He had forgotten about that. What were her parents doing here anyway? Had something gone wrong again and Ally had called them instead of him? Caleb gathered Thor and this time at a steadier pace, he rode over to Ally's house. Robert was out in the back yard with Tank, cleaning the pool.

  "Hey, Robert."

  "Caleb." Robert looked up from what he was doing and Tank followed him to the fence. "How have you been? Ally said you've been really busy."

  "On a farm, there's always something to do. If it's not fixin' fences or birthin', it's something else. What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

  "Ally had to leave for New York this morning, so she asked us to watch Tank. She's going to be gone for a while, so we're taking Tank back with us."

  "Did she say how long?" Uneasiness gripped at Caleb's heart. What if Ally didn't come back?

  "She said she would call us."

  "Um, do you know where she's staying in New York?"

  "No, she never tells us that information." Robert looked at Caleb quizzically. "You didn't know she left? I would've thought she told you with the house being empty."

  "We haven't seen much of each other, been kind of busy." Caleb cleared this throat before moving on. "I'll keep an eye on the house."

  "Well, I sure do appreciate that."

  "Uh, is Kat around?"

  "No, she and her mother are at Kat's house doing some women stuff. Once Tara gets back, she and I will head back to Houston."

  "Could you ask Kat to stop by when she gets a chance?"

  "Sure." Robert sensed something didn't sit right and he squinted hard at Caleb. "Are you all right?"

  "I'm fine." Caleb smiled bravely even though his heart felt heavy. Ally had gone back to New York and he knew she might not be coming back. "I've got to run, Robert. See you later." Caleb urged Thor to leave and he rode slowly back to the barn. He took his time in brushing down Thor and made his way back into the house. Walking slowly, he ran into Jeb on his way in.

  "What's wrong? Is it one of the herd?”

  "Ally went back to New York." Caleb's eyes were flat.

  "You made a mess of it, boy." Jeb shook his head and walked away.

  ****

  "Ally Duncan, you have some explaining to do," said Kat angrily into the phone.

  "What are you talking about?" asked Ally as she walked to the cab station.

  "About Greg and what were you doing at a Las Calinas' nightclub?"

  "How did you find out?" A prickly sensation of dread traveled through Ally.

  "We watched it on TMZ this morning. Didn't you know about it?

  "No." Ally had to sit down, the cab forgotten. "What happened?"

  "Greg was arrested and he swore that the two of you were almost engaged and he was down in Dallas to bring you back to New York. But you didn't tell me who you were with at the club. They said it's your new man. Ally, I'm your big sister. I love you. Why didn't you tell me? Who is he?"

  "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd be mad at me," said Ally softly, unshed tears threatened her eyes. "Besides, there is no man".

  "Ally," said Kat quietly. "It's Caleb, right?"

  "Yes." There. Ally had admitted it to Kat.

  This is really about Caleb and not Greg. Kat thought quietly before she continued. "You ran away, Ally. Why would I be mad at you about Caleb? I knew he fell in love with you the minute he met you."

  "You did?" asked Ally, surprised.

  "Oh, Ally, honey. The way you two would look at each other, it became very obvious. I know I teased you about your relationships with men, but Caleb is different. It's almost like love at first sight."

  "But he doesn't feel the same way, Kat. He confronted me about our relationship and why I hadn't told you we were seeing each other. I told him I didn't know how our relationship stood and he..." Ally could barely continue so she said in a hushed voice, "Caleb said he's not ready to discuss it. He hasn't spoken to me since."