The first to finish, Neal excused himself and went to finish his work. Mucking out the stalls was the last job of the day. He fought the pain in his back and side, continuing to sweep and scoop. Cleaning was one of the hardest jobs to do. The smell horrid.
The moment he finished and the sun went down he said goodbye to his parents before driving the short distance to his own house.
After a quick shower and shave, he dressed in a clean pair of jeans with a loose shirt. Despite the sun being down, the heat remained making him feel restricted in his clothes.
Ignoring his gut instinct telling him to stay home, he grabbed his keys and began the short drive into town. Leaving Sandy alone wasn’t an option. His family clearly felt she had been treated unfairly. Besides that, guilt ate at conscious. The words he’d spoken to her the last time they were together were less than respectful. His parents taught him to treat women better than that.#p#分页标题#e#
* * * *
Sandy changed the channel, trying not to throw up at the sappy love story on the television. She had a good mind to start suing the film companies who portrayed love as some easy all consuming thing.
Love didn’t come to people on a plate. Love took many years to develop. Look at her, she’d loved Neal Haney since she turned eighteen and the guy couldn’t stand to be around her. Taking a bite of her sandwich, she settled on an action movie. This would be the first Sunday she’d miss going to the Haney’s house for dinner in years. There she would have helped with the dishes and ate warm apple pie for desert. She would have spent time with Cheyenne. Bless the girl, she couldn’t do a lot because she’d been born with a hole in her heart. Anything strenuous could bring on an attack and she’d need to be rushed to the hospital. That didn’t stop her from being a big help to the family though.
Instead, because Neal despised her, she’d stayed home. The couch being her only comfort for the day. Going out held no appeal. Her own company would have to do.
She didn’t get it. Neal Haney wasn’t a saint. He worked hard and played harder than her. The women who worked with her or came into the beauty salon had a few things to tell. All that talk of keeping his private life private was absolute bull.
Placing her empty plate on the floor, she settled down getting herself comfortable. She thought about the tales women told her. He had quite a reputation as a stud. At first he started out with the fuck ‘em and leave ‘em approach. The last piece of juicy gossip she’d gotten had come through Lacy. The girl he’d last dated.
“He likes to tie you up. I knew he liked kinky sex but girl this man doesn’t just play kinky. He is kinky. The dirtier the better. Control is what he wants and control is what he takes.”
Sandy thought about the Neal she knew. Control would be the main word she’d use to describe him. Kinky possibly but to the extent Lacy talked about, she doubted.
Still, the rumors gave her so many forbidden fantasies. Not that Neal would ever see her as anything other than his brother’s plaything. Why must she be punished for growing up and wanting to experiment? Why did people expect her to get back together with Luke? She and Luke had been a thing in high school. Nothing else. Yes, she’d lost her virginity to him and it had been the worst experience of her life. Luke lost his with her. Poor guy, he didn’t know what to do when she burst into tears.
She growled at the ceiling. No matter how many questions she asked, there wasn’t any answers coming her way. Spending time wondering why Neal didn’t like her would send her to an early grave. The sound of the doorbell brought her out of her thoughts. Picking her plate up from the floor, she put it in the kitchen.
Who would be knocking on her door on a Sunday evening? Through the window pane in the door she could tell night had already fallen.
A fist knocked against the glass.
“All right. I’m bloody coming.” She unbolted each of the locks, and then opened the door.
Neal stood on her doorstep.
“What do you want?”
He barged past her without saying a word.
“Why don’t you come in? I’m not entertaining anyone or have anything interesting to do.” She locked the door and followed him into the living room.
“If you’ve got company send them home.” Neal folded his arms over his chest.
“This is unbelievable. First, you don’t want anyone to know we’re friends. Now you barge into my house demanding I get rid of possible company. Since when do you get a say in my life!” Folding her arms she stared at him across the room.#p#分页标题#e#
“Do you have a man friend here?”