"And I love to cook," added Ally.
"It's one of the reasons why I want you."
"I also take orders very well."
"You never used to. You were a brat," said Kat with a smile.
"I love you, too, sister. But with modeling, that's all I did. Stand this way, strike this pose. I'm a pro."
"I'll change all that," laughed Kat. "Let me know when you're coming."
"Thanks," sighed Ally. "I knew I could count on you. But, wait. What are Mom and Dad going to think about the two of us so far away from them?"
"Ally, Ally, Ally," sighed Kat. "Your geography is horrible. They live in Houston. Remember they came up to see you?"
"It's all a blur to me. I know Paris, Rome, Australia, and Europe. I've never been anywhere else," sighed Ally.
"Learn about your country. You're giving models a bad name," giggled Kat.
"Geography has never been one of my strong subjects, but I beat you at math."
"The brain works in mysterious ways." Kat paused. "Let me know."
Ally disconnected the call and looked out again at the window. It had started to rain and soon the streets would become filthy and gray. Did she really want to stay here? What would she do? She walked around her condo looking at her belongings with disdain. "I'll do it," she swore to herself. "I'm going to Texas!" Tank wagged his tail and barked happily since his mistress was no longer in a bad mood.
****
Caleb Strait portrayed the epitome of a real Texas cowboy from the souls of his boots to the top of his cowboy hat. Only in his mid-thirties, his energy level equaled that of someone in their teens. He had a reputation of being the most eligible bachelor in Argyle and wasn't in the market for a woman, but that didn't stop them from trying. Coupled with his good looks came money inherited from his family. His cattle ranch spanned close to one thousand acres; he specialized in breeding Long Horn cattle. The Strait family had owned the land since 1892 and Caleb, being the last in line, intended to keep it that way. He had only sold four acres to private builders where one of the mansions had been vacant and now up for sale. Caleb could care less if the house sold, since he liked the solitude of having very few neighbors.
However, on his morning horseback ride to check on his herds, he saw a realtor with two women looking at one of the vacant mansions adjoining his lot. A fence divided the area between the house's lot and his ranch, but Caleb could easily see the realtor's activity. He watched from behind a tree, knowing they couldn't see him. Awed by the beauty of one of the women, Caleb froze in his tracks. Where had he seen her before? He snuck in closer to get a better look. He knew the realtor, Dottie Dunham, because he had gone to school with her, but the other two women's identity puzzled him. Caleb leaned in for a better view of the tallest of the three women. Seeing her in full, he recognized Ally Duncan. What the hell is Ally doing in Argyle, Texas? Did she intend to move here? She and Caleb would be neighbors? Caleb's heart thundered in his chest and his breathing stopped. He had never been so captivated by a woman before. He shook his head, wondering if this would be his downfall.
****
"What do you think, Ally?" asked Dottie.
"Wow! You're saying I can afford a place like this? It's huge." Ally fell in love with the house and the adjacent lot. "I mean there's a pool. I've never had a pool before and there's an outdoor kitchen and television." Ally looked out onto the ranch behind the fence not seeing Caleb. "What about the animals? They're enormous. Will they get into the backyard?" asked Ally eying the horses and brown, long horn cattle suspiciously.
"No. Behind your fence and the ranch, there's a barbed wire electrical fence. The animals know," replied Dottie. "Now I want to point something out to you, coming from New York. We do have tornados down here and our houses don't have basements because of the soil," explained Dottie, as the women followed her to an oversized closet. "This room underneath the stairs is called a 'fraidy hole'. This is the safest structure of the house. Y'all want to get some water, a radio and batteries and maybe put some food in there. Just in case."
"Just in case?" repeated Ally slowly and she turned to Kat. "How often are the tornados?"
"Ally, we had them all the time when we lived in Indiana, remember? But since I've been here, there haven’t been any, honest." Kat made the sign of the cross.
"Y'all will be safe, but I'm just letting, you know where to go in case of an emergency."
"Ally, this is perfect for you, squealed Kat. Just think about it. The kitchen is to die for. We could move some of the business here."
"But it has four bedrooms, four baths, two living areas, a family room, a study and a media room, besides the patio. Kat, my whole condo in Manhattan would fit into the master bedroom. What about the pool? What about the yard work?"
"Oh, Ally," replied Kat patiently. "You hire people to do those things for you. You're going to be so busy, you'll forget everything. Pretty soon this house will be filled. Another thing to keep in mind is I'm only ten minutes away. Also, when Tom gets back from his Tour of Duty, he'll help out as well."
"I don't know," said Ally. She walked back inside the house with Dottie and Kat behind her. Ally headed straight for the kitchen and looked again. It boasted state-of-the-art appliances, two islands, roomy counter tops and a plethora of cabinets. The best part of it was the bay window, which faced the back yard. She looked up and that's when she noticed Caleb ride by on his horse. "Who is that?" she asked Dottie as her eyes were riveted on Caleb's muscular form. Okay, that's a view Ally could put up with every day.
"Who are you talking about?" Dottie went to the window and smiled. "Caleb Strait and don't get any ideas. Every gal in town would like to get their hands on him and he's not biting."
"Ally has had it with men," replied Kat sarcastically. "Remember?" Kat glanced over at her sister.
"Kat's right," confirmed Ally as she straightened her shoulders and turned away from the window. "I have a career and it doesn't include a man.” Squaring her shoulders, Ally raised her chin and looked Dottie in the eye. "I'll take it," she said happily.
"Yes!" squealed Kat. "Now I'll have my little sister nearby."
"Gee, I don't know if that's a good thing or not." Ally glared at her sister.
Chapter Two
"You can't just up and quit, Ally! What is wrong with you?" Henri, Ally's agent, saw red.
"Yes, I can," protested Ally calmly. Ally had never seen Henri so angry.
"What about your contracts? You have to honor them. Ally, what about me? I'm the one who discovered you. You can't let me down like this. It's a man, isn't it?" pleaded Henri. "Baby, you'll get over him, trust me. Men are all alike, I should know."
"Part of it is a man, but not all of it. Henri, look at me, look at my life. It's empty. All I do is pose. No one takes me seriously. No one cares what I have to say or think. I want a profession where I can help people and interact with something other than a camera." Ally added to the drama with some unshed tears.
"But people love you, Ally. You're famous. You're a star." Henri wrung his hands in frustration. "I'll kill that bum. Who is he? Where does he live?"
"Two weeks, Henri, and I'm walking away. There are other women who would love to take my place." Ally crossed her arms over her chest.
"You'll regret this, Ally. Mark my words. I'll pretend you never said those words. Tomorrow it will be another story."
"No, it won't. I only regret that I didn't do it sooner. Now, is there any work scheduled for today? I've got to see a realtor, arrange for a mover and start packing."
"Of course you have work. Hans is waiting for you at Macy's. Now go." Henri made a dramatic gesture with his hand over his heart. "You're just trying to kill me."
"Right." Ally kissed him on top of the head, stretching her five-foot nine stature over his five-four frame. She gave him a wave as she left the office.
Walking with a freedom she hadn't felt in a long time, Ally headed to her photo shoot at Macy's. So wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't pay attention to the light which had turned red. She kept walking and nearly missed being hit by a taxi and the driver honked rudely at her.
"Lady, you trying to get killed?" He flipped her the finger.
"You too, buddy," snarled Ally as she stepped back on the curb. Oh, she wasn't going to miss New York at all! Her cell phone rang.
"Baby, what do you mean you want to break up with me? I love you."
"It's over, Greg. This is it. You're slime." His whiny voice grated on Ally's nerves.
"Baby, those women mean nothing to me, nothing at all. I've got you, right?"
"Wrong!" Ally ended the call quickly only for it to ring again.
"Mrs. Duncan?" drawled the voice on the other end.
Ally quickly glanced down at the number recognizing the area code but not the number.
"Who is this? By the way, it's Miss Duncan."
"Caleb. Caleb Strait, ma'am."
"Oh? Oh, you're the rancher from Texas. How did you get my number?"
"Dottie and I go way back," Caleb's voice purred.
"Is there a problem?" Ally had reached Macy's and walked in towards the photographer.
"You're breaking up," commented Caleb.
"Sorry." Ally stepped back outside ignoring the scathing looks from one of the most famous photographers, Hans, who didn't like to be kept waiting.
"Heard y'all are fixin' to buy the place," began Caleb confidently.
"Fixin'? Yes, I'm buying the house."
Fixin'
? Ally shook her head.
"Well, since you are, there are some…um things I want to get right with you so we understand where we stand." Caleb had her full attention.
"Ally, I don't have all day." Hans had come outside and grabbed Ally's arm.
"Listen, Caleb, I want to talk to you, but this isn't a good time for me. May I call you back? You see, I'm at work with a very temperamental photographer." Ally glared at Hans.