Page 102 of Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars (Rock Canyon, Idaho 2)

Justin had his head under the hood of their old farm truck, so he had no idea why his brother thought he was acting like anything. “I’m just working on the truck.”

“Yeah, but you’re slamming tools and jerking around. What happened? You lose another bet?”

Justin pulled up from what he was doing and gave his older brother a level look. “No. I’m concentrating. That’s it.”

“Fine, I was just trying to help.” Everett’s wide grin made the scarred side of his face more distinctive. The red, puckered flesh had been healed for several years but still drew the eye. He was a strong man, and the right side of his face sported the same square jaw and light brown eyes Justin had, but it wasn’t what strangers noticed first. They noticed the scars.

Everett had been finishing his second tour in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb had taken out his Humvee. Everett had ended up in a military hospital after trying to save his friend. He’d had third-degree burns along the left side of his face and neck and damaged hearing. His friend hadn’t survived.

Still, the townfolk of Rock Canyon saw Everett as a hero. They didn’t know about his nightmares, though, or the severe PTSD that had cost him his wife, Melanie. By the time he’d come back to Rock Canyon, all of that was behind him, and he had picked up where he’d left off, helping his dad on the ranch.

Everett was the reason Justin had joined the Marines in the first place, but while his brother had been in the infantry, working his way up the ranks, Justin had scored so high on the ASVAB that he’d been able to practically choose his assignment.

He’d chosen to be a mechanic—a trade he could take with him when he got out. He wasn’t like Everett, who would have been a lifer. He had wanted the education and the benefits because without them, the only thing he was going to end up doing was working the farm and taking care of his dad when he got too drunk to stand on his own.

Justin’s mouth twisted grimly. He’d left home at eighteen to escape the life of a farmer, and twelve years later, he was right back where he’d started. He could have left any time, if he?

??d really wanted to, but he couldn’t turn his back on the only family he had left. In spite of the times his dad let his demons get the better of him, he was a good man and father.

He was just a stubborn son of a bitch.

“You seem more pensive than usual,” Everett said, handing him a beer as he sat down on one of the stools in the garage.

Justin grinned as he popped the top and took a swig. “Trying to psychoanalyze me, brother?”

“You kidding me? I don’t want to delve any deeper into that head of yours.” Everett tipped his beer up again and wiped his mouth. “Who knows what I’d find?”

“Nothing terribly complicated up here.” Justin tapped the side of his head for emphasis, despite the image of one extremely complicated woman that he couldn’t seem to shake.

He’d seen Valerie Willis around town a few times since she’d moved back, but today at Hall’s Market was the first time he’d really talked to her. Rumor had it she’d cheated on her ex-husband, Cole Channing, a real up-and-comer in politics, and after he’d divorced her, she’d come home to ride out the scandal. It was hard for him to reconcile the Valerie he remembered with the cold, heartless bitch the townspeople were portraying her as.

The Valerie he’d met ten years ago had been beautiful and wild, like a bobcat he’d once seen running across a meadow. She’d been up for anything, from the kiss he’d laid on her before knowing her name to streaking across the Rock Canyon High School football field. Afterward, he’d walked her to the door and kissed her good night, asking if he could see her again. He hadn’t even slept with her, but the little spitfire had sure gotten under his skin. He could still remember the taste of her strawberry lip gloss as she’d kissed him one last time, whispering “yes” as she ran for the side of her house.

But when he went to see her the next day, her dad had told him she was gone and said, in no uncertain terms, that he didn’t want Fred Silverton’s son anywhere near his girl.

It had stung that she’d left town without telling him, but he’d finally figured out that their night had meant more to him than her. He’d moved on and gotten over what could have been.

Then, today, he’d gone and made an ass out of himself, insinuating she should share her bottle of wine with him.

“Well,” his brother said, bringing him out of his own head, “I’d better go tend to my chores. See you later.”

Justin shook his head to clear it and said, “Yeah, see ya.” Finishing his beer, he turned up the radio and the heater, his breath still fogging in front of him.

“Hello, all you lucky Valentines out there. Stay tuned for your next chance to win tickets to see Brad Paisley, February 14th! Just listen for Brad’s ‘Little Moments’ to win.” Kat Country DJ Callie Jacobsen called out through the speakers. Justin’s ears perked up. “And for all of you singles, how would you like to win an all-inclusive weekend vacation to the place where perfect matches are made? Just listen to this jingle . . .”

Justin was barely listening anymore as he went back to work on the engine, pushing all thoughts of petite brunettes from his mind.

About the Author

* * *

An obsessive bookworm, CODI GARY likes to write sexy small-town contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and blush-worthy moments. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading her favorite authors, squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her children. She lives in Idaho with her family. You can find her online at www.codigarysbooks.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CodiGarysBooks.

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By Codi Gary

Good Girls Don’t Date Rock Stars

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