Page 3 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

“Not a problem. You got a hot date?” he teased.

“No!” Realizing she had almost yelled the word, she wanted to smack herself, just haul off and whack her own cheek, but then he’d really think she was nuts. Dates led to relationships, which led to marriage, and from there . . . well, she’d already been down that road. “Sorry. No, it’s just for me.”

“That’s a shame.” He tapped the bottle and added, “That’s a nice bottle of wine. It should be shared with someone, especially with how cold it’s been lately.”

It was true. They were having record low temperatures this year, some days not even reaching ten degrees, and with nights below zero. If there had been someone in her life, it would have been the perfect plan, but the last thing she wanted was a man. She was enjoying her uncomplicated life, and thankfully, the more she hibernated, the more her father ignored her. Life was never good when Edward Willis came up with one of his evil public-appearance schemes.

Finally getting her bearings, she smiled. “Maybe I’ll call my sister, then. See if she wants to help me drink it.”

“That wasn’t exactly what I meant—”

“I know what you meant, but I’m not dating.” It came out sharper than she’d meant, but she wasn’t ready. Hell, she didn’t know if she’d ever be ready again.

Justin stared at her like he was trying to Vulcan mind meld with her and it brought her back to who she’d been before she’d been sent away, before she’d married Cole and spent three years of her life miserable and lonely. That girl had been wild and reckless and it was painful to wonder how things might have been different if only . . .

If only she hadn’t been born Valerie Willis and Justin hadn’t been Fred Silverton’s son.

It was no secret how her father felt about Fred Silverton and his sons. She didn’t know t

he details of what had gone down between them, but apparently, Fred’s drinking had screwed up a deal Edward was trying to make with a big farming outfit. It was supposed to be a win/win situation, but when the deal fell through, Edward had called Fred a drunken waste of space and had tried to convince his daughters that Fred’s sons were no different.

If her father hadn’t discovered her missing that night ten years ago and watched by the window for her return, he might never have known who had dropped her off. Seeing her and Justin together was all it had taken for her dad to go off on a full rampage and pack her off to that convent of a school.

Val almost snorted out loud. Like that had really kept her out of trouble.

She realized how long she’d let the silence stretch between them, and felt bad when she caught Justin’s expression. It wasn’t his fault she’d made a mess of her life and he didn’t deserve her snapping at him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” Val said, placing the bottle in her cart.

He hesitated before he spoke, as if he was weighing his response. “It’s okay, I was just teasing you. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

His face had taken on a blank quality she hated. “It’s not you—”

“It’s you.” He gave her a small nod. “I get it. Hey, enjoy the wine.”

He walked down the aisle toward the checkout and Val called, “Thank you” after him, but he just kept walking like he hadn’t heard her.

Grabbing her cart, she turned it angrily and muttered to herself, “You are such an idiot.”

“I beg your pardon?” Val looked up to find she’d almost crashed into Mrs. Andrews, and by the look on the older woman’s face, she was not happy about it.

“I was talking to myself, Mrs. Andrews.”

“Oh, so you’re insane as well as immoral. It seems to run in the family. I thought for a while there that Eleanor would have learned from the mistakes of her sisters, but from her latest antics, that seems to be too much to expect. “Mrs. Andrews’s tone was cutting, and Val felt every slice. “Now, can you please move your cart?”

She knew coming back to this town had been a mistake, but she couldn’t leave Eleanor, who had gone by Ellie since she was a toddler. Val had never been lily white, especially in college, but she had never been reckless either. Her little sister was heading down a dangerous road, and no matter what Val said about it, Ellie just shrugged her off. Val had watched their older sister almost destroy herself trying to escape their father’s stranglehold, and Ellie didn’t have Caroline’s strength. Beneath all her dramatics, Ellie was just a sweet kid who had lost her way.

She knew all three of them had bad reputations, but she’d seen the way “nice” girls got bullied and taken advantage of. Aside from some weakness where her father was concerned, at least no one would ever take advantage of her. People could believe what they wanted, but she would never be a victim.

However, just because the whole town thought Val was an adulterous slut, it didn’t mean she was going to take their abuse without fighting back. Especially when that venom encompassed her sisters.

Edward Willis hadn’t raised weaklings, after all.

“Mrs. Andrews, I don’t like your tone or appreciate your insults. And to be honest,” Val lowered her voice for dramatic effect, “I find your top offensive. Your tatas are about to pop out.”

In reality, the top wasn’t immodest in the least, but Val felt the warmth of satisfaction when the woman huffed and moved around her. She hoped the cranky old bat went home immediately and burned it.

But her triumph was short-lived as she made it to the end of the aisle and passed a woman with a car seat in her cart. Peeking inside, she saw a pink blanket and the sweet face of a sleeping baby.

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