When The Runway Went South (34 page)

"That's not true," protested Ally. "It's been a while since I've been on a horse and I didn't know how well I'd do." Ally tried to hide the fact that the spider bite
really
bothered her. "I had a good time today," she told Jeb and Caleb. "I have to run."

"Do it again?" asked Caleb with a twinkle in his eye.

"You bet and I'll really show you what I can do." Ally met his gaze.

"You're on." Caleb smiled seductively at her.

By the time Ally got home, she let Tank out and ran to the bathroom to look at her spider bite. Using a hand held mirror, she could see the bite and it looked like it had spread. Blisters with pus started to ooze out of it. Had this been God's way of chastising her for making love in the grass? Ally looked through her medicine cabinet and only found a topical medical cream and applied it liberally. She put on a large t-shirt to cover herself without any pants. Ally made a mental note to stop at the drugstore on her way over to Kat's. She then began to make the salad and appetizers for tonight's dinner.

After her shower, Ally put some more topical cream on the bite and covered it with a band aid. It had now grown to officially two inches long. When she put her pants on, Ally winced at the pain. She dreaded the evening already. She fed Tank and left the house headed towards Kat's house.

"Hey, Kat, how are you?" greeted Ally as she walked into her sister's home.

"Hey, sis." Kat gave her sister a hug. "Mom and Dad said you stopped to see them this weekend?"

"Yeah, I felt a little lonesome. I'm so used to being around you, it became too quiet. Here is the salad and let me run out to get the appetizers."

"Did you see Caleb this weekend?" Kat watched Ally closely.

"I don't know, why?"  Ally played dumb.

"Just wondering." Kat knew better, but kept her mouth shut as she watched Ally carry in the food. "What's wrong with you? You're walking funny."

"It's a little embarrassing," said Ally blushing. "I've got a spider bite on my buttocks."

"Ally, how did you get that? Were you romping around naked in the grass?" laughed Kat.

"No," said Ally a bit too quickly, hiding her face.
No, Kat. I just had naked wild sex in the grass with Caleb, if you want to call that romping.

"I need to use the bathroom, I'll be right back." Ally hurried to the bathroom with all of her supplies of cortisone and Benedryl which the pharmacist recommended.

When she emerged, Kat had packed up her van and they were ready to go. Kat and Ally chatted about their weekends, mostly Kat doing the talking. They arrived at the house and Ally felt wired all of a sudden. She just couldn't sit still.

"Ally, what's wrong with you?" whispered Kat fiercely. "Calm down. You're running around like a chicken with its head cut off."

"I don't know. I feel like I have all of this energy," explained Ally. It suddenly dawned on her and she blamed it on the medication's side effects. With her luck, she'd be up all night.

"Then go wash the dishes." Kat gave Ally a gentle shove towards the kitchen and continued to serve the meal. The meal won everyone's approval and Kat received invitations for three more parties for the month.

"Why don't you stay for a drink," suggested Kat as they got home.

"No, I better not," said Ally thinking about the medicine and alcohol. "Who do you use for a doctor around here?"

"Why, are you sick?"

"If this bite gets any worse, I might make an appointment to have someone look at it."

"Only my sister gets a bite on her butt," laughed Kat.

"It's not funny," said Ally. "It really hurts."

"Why don't you just go home and get some sleep? I'll come over tomorrow so we can plan the menus."

"Okay," agreed Ally. She got into her car and started to drive when her cell phone went off. Pulling to the curb, she answered it.

"Are you home yet?" asked Caleb.

"No, I'm just leaving Kat's now."

"How's your bite?" Caleb sounded amused.

"It really hurts and it's not funny."

"Should I come over and take care of it?"

"You're the one who got me into this mess because you didn't want to use the blanket," retorted Ally.

"Well, maybe if you would stop looking so sexy all the time, this wouldn't happen." Caleb's voice softened. "Ally, I can't seem to keep my hands off of you."

"Don't stop, then. Listen, I need to get home. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"No. Call me when you get home."

"You bet." Ally smiled as she disconnected. Caleb seemed just too good to be true. The ride home went without any problems and Ally made sure she called Caleb.

"I want to warn you about the storm headed our way," said Caleb. "I'm not sure if you check the weather."

"Of course I check it. We're supposed to get some heavy rain."

"In case of tornado, do you know what to do?"

"Dottie told me about the 'fraidy hole. I've got it all set up with water, flashlights and a portable radio with batteries."

"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.