When The Runway Went South (26 page)

"You're right. I am so boring."

"Right," said Caleb, still smiling.

"Caleb?" Ally gently stroked his arm and looked into those beautiful green eyes. "Be careful. Don't want to hear about you being shot."

 "You care about me?"

"What do you think? Of course I do."

"Good." Caleb planted a meaningful kiss on her lips and walked to Thor.

"You're wearing me down, Caleb Strait," muttered Ally as she watched him leave. Ally trudged back to the house, only to realize Caleb still had the top of her bikini.

Ally showed up at Kat's house at approximately four with homemade baked ziti and a New York style cheesecake she had made.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, little sister," said Kat as she gave Ally a hug. "You know, I'm not nervous at all about tonight, but I am a little nervous about tomorrow. I mean, what do we do? What do we say?"

"I've been giving it a lot of thought," said Ally as she helped Kat with a tray of the anti pasta salad. "First off, it's your business, right? I think you should introduce yourself and talk about how you started the business and more or less leave me out of it. I don't want to be a deterrent to you at all. I'll even dress down in the hopes that no one will recognize me."

"Ally, you're impossible not to be noticed. It also can be a help, too. We'll play it by ear. Did you enjoy your pool?"

"I did until Caleb showed up," laughed Ally.

"He always shows up. For someone who swore off women, he won't leave you alone."

"It's because I'm not chasing him. He's definitely hotter than Greg." Ally smiled at the memory of Caleb's kiss.

"So, what happened at the pool?"

"I dove in just as he rode past me and the top of my bikini fell off. There I stood almost in my birthday suit."

"Oh, Ally. Only something like that would happen to you." Kat had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard. "What did you do?"

"Caleb wouldn't give it back to me. By the time I got to where I could stand, I covered myself up. At least he had the decency to get my towel for me. He still has the top, too."

"He'll try and sell it as an ‘Ally Duncan souvenir’?"

"It will show up on eBay. ‘Ally Duncan's bikini for sale; will negotiate the price.’" They burst into a fit of giggles.

"I'm so glad you moved down here, Ally. Please, don't ever move back to New York," pleaded Kat.

Ally became silent. She didn't know if she could make that promise. If things with Caleb were to go sour, she would have to go somewhere far away. Ally sighed in disgust. She had let Caleb get to her. When did this happen?

Ally arrived home late and she struggled to keep her eyes open. She and Kat had really worked hard and Ally felt relieved no one recognized her. It also helped that everyone had loved the food and Kat had snagged at least four jobs from this party. Ally stayed up later to prepare the cannolis they would provide as a sample for the Chamber of Commerce.

Caleb brushed down Thor even though he was exhausted. The rangers were actively on the lookout for his cattle. There was a lead on stolen cattle in Oklahoma they were pursuing for him. Also, it didn't help that he had stayed up with Jeb to help give birth to two healthy calves. He showered, ate some dinner and then sat down in front of his computer checking out additional information on cattle auctions when he suddenly remembered he had Ally's bikini top. He smiled and fished it out of the pocket of his pants. It still had Ally's scent on it. Caleb sighed with frustration. How could he convince Ally he really cared about her?

Caleb overslept and damned the world. If he didn't hurry, he'd be late for the meeting. He and Jeb went over a list of things that Jeb would take care of and then he hopped into his truck to the restaurant. He spotted Kat, but didn't see Ally. He noticed Kat talking to a rather tall woman with her back to Caleb. She wore a royal blue two piece business suit, a white v-neck blouse with the skirt three inches from her knees, topped off with a pair of black high heels. She wore her straight, blond hair tied back in a bun at the nape of her neck. When the woman turned sideways, on the light caught her square black glasses. Had Kat hired a lawyer? What happened to Ally? Disappointed, Caleb called the meeting to order. As everyone took their seats around the table, he still looked for Ally. He then noticed the woman sitting next to Kat. Caleb momentarily lost his concentration as he stared at Ally and she stared right back at him with a slight smile on her face. Caleb recovered quickly and introduced the next speaker. Ally had done a terrific job of camouflaging herself and Caleb literally couldn't speak. He longed to take off those glasses and undo her hair until it fell down the sides of her face. He wanted to undress her, the jacket first and then the silk shirt. My Lord, she had him turned on. He took deep breaths to slow his heart rate. Gaining control, he smiled lazily at Ally; picked up his BlackBerry and typed a message before standing up to resume control of the meeting.

"New business," said Caleb as he addressed the group. "We have a new member on board. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce Ally Kat's Catering Service.”

"Hello." Kat rose out of her chair slowly, trying to hide her trembling hands.

"You're doing fine," whispered Ally.

"My name is Kat Stetler and this is my sister, Ally." Ally nodded her head. "We're new in town and the proud owners of Ally Kat's Catering. We do breakfasts, lunches, dinners, parties, reunions and also graduations. If you're interested, feel free to pick up our brochures on the table over there."

Ally's phone went off telling her of an incoming message. She turned in her seat and picked up the phone to read the message.

Great disguise, but don't ever wear that suit in public without telling me first.

Ally glanced up at Caleb and raised her right eyebrow in question. He acknowledged her and smiled
.

Y?
Ally typed back.

I want to peel it off u 1 layer at a time.

"Isn't that right, Ally?" asked Kat as she turned to Ally.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear the question." Ally's face turned red.

"We keep adding to our menus, hoping to gain more business?"

"Uh, yes, we are trying Southern cooking as well as some things from all over the country." She glared at Caleb, who smiled broadly.

"We want to thank the owners of this restaurant for letting us bring our home made Italian cannolis. These are Ally's specialty from New York."

Ally's phone beeped again and she ignored it. Kat looked at her strangely and Ally tried to right the situation. "I also make any style cheesecake," Ally added as she looked around the room.

"Aren't you Ally Duncan, the model? I thought you looked familiar." A man at the following table stared at her intently.

"I'm Kat's business partner," she replied smoothly.

"I could've sworn you were her." He still wasn't convinced.

"Please help yourselves to the dessert on the table," suggested Kat, while Ally looked at the message on her phone.

U look edible miss ally forget the dessert.

 Ally glance up at Caleb again, but he had already moved on to the next portion of the meeting. Glaring, she typed one more message;

U r bad.

She put the phone back in her purse and concentrated on her lunch as she successfully pushed it all around her plate. She wasn't hungry, but Caleb had stirred something inside of her. Normally, she would be insulted at the messages, but it had just the opposite effect since it came from Caleb. Her phone beeped again.

"Ally, who keeps calling you?" asked Kat as she looked down at Ally's purse.

"It’s texting," explained Ally. "No big deal." She gave a sigh of relief when the meeting was over. Someone engaged Kat in conversation and Ally checked her phone again.

U said u liked bad boys.

Ally glanced up at Caleb again, who smiled at her wickedly. She tried to give him a dirty look, but it failed.

"Can I have your autograph?" The man did not give up.

"I'd rather you take our business card and a brochure." Ally handed him the package and quickly stood up. "Kat, I'm out of here. Call me later, okay?"

"Where are you going? I thought we were going to my house to go over our shopping list." Kat looked at Ally closely and then at Ally's plate. "Don't you feel good?"

"No, I don't, I need to go home right now. I'll call you later." Ally fled out the door and reached her car within minutes. She opened the door and jumped in the driver seat to turn on the engine. She pealed out of the lot and breathed heavily as she negotiated her drive home. That damn Caleb had gotten her so turned on, she couldn't think straight. As she pulled into the driveway and saw him standing by his truck waiting for her, she lost sight of any responsibility.

Caleb didn't say a word as he watched Ally get out of the car with her keys in hand. Their eyes locked as if in a trance, and he reached for the keys. Walking silently together, Caleb opened the front door and let Ally in. They were greeted by Tank, but Caleb let him out the back while Ally put her purse on the counter.

"Come here," said Caleb thickly. Ally obeyed him and stood face to face to him. Her heart raced with desire. Caleb slowly took off her glasses as Ally watched fascinated. Still not saying anything, Caleb reached for the back of her hair and undid the bun. Ally's hair sprang down, the curls falling around her face. "That's better," whispered Caleb as he lowered his face to catch her lips. Ally met his lips and kissed him back. Caleb pulled away and raised Ally's chin to meet his gaze. "I meant every word I said. I don't want to hear any 'stop' or 'we shouldn't' because I know better."

"Caleb?" whispered Ally. "I'm scared." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Don't. I'm not going to hurt you," said Caleb tenderly. He led her to the bedroom and shut the door. 

Ally stood still, her eyes searching his for a sign and smiled as Caleb came towards her. Taking her in his arms, he hungrily kissed her lips, parting them boldly with his tongue. Somehow, his shirt had become unbuttoned and Ally found her hands on his chest exploring the rigid muscles of his abdomen, curling his fine chest hair in her fingers.

"I've had this scenario worked out in my mind ever since the day I first laid eyes on you," murmured Caleb as his hands slipped down and cupped Ally's buttocks. Kneading them, he brought their bodies closer together so Ally could feel his hardness.