Page 96 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

“Uh-oh.”

“Just let me say this,” she said pleadingly and took a deep breath. “Up until a year ago, my life had never been my own, and since we started seeing each other, we’ve hit one bump in the road after another. We said we wanted to see how far this thing would go, but I don’t think we need to rush getting there.” She lay back down with her chin on his chest and whispered, “I rushed into a marriage before that I knew wasn’t right and regretted it. Deep in my heart, I know you’re it for me, and if you feel the same way, I just want to enjoy being us before we take on any more changes. Is that okay with you?”

He had to admit that the romantic side of him was a little disappointed, but he understood. Tucking her hair behind her ears, he teased, “I tell you what. When you’re ready to take the next step and make an honest man of me, I’ll be waiting.”

“Are you saying you want me to propose to you?”

“And it better be romantic. I want all the bells and whistles.”

“So demanding,” she teased, sliding up his body to kiss him.

“White doves and rose petals and—”

“Shut up.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

* * *

August, five months later

JUSTIN WIPED THE sweat from his brow as he went inside the house and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He barely recognized the two-bedroom since Val had started moving her stuff in, but he had to admit that whatever reservations he’d had about her choice of furniture sure didn’t outweigh the benefits of coming home to her every night. She’d kept her shop but was renting her house to her sister and Jenny Andrews, who had just graduated high school and had been looking to get out from under her mother’s thumb. Both girls were going to school in Twin Falls, and so far Ellie had been staying on the straight and narrow. Val thought the younger girl was a good influence on her sister.

Justin headed back out, saw dark clouds rolling in from the south, and cursed the summer storms. His dad’s truck passed by and Fred waved out of the window at him, heading into town for his AA meeting. Justin returned the greeting as he headed to his truck. Since their big fight, Fred had been making an effort to get better, attending his meetings and staying on the restricted diet his doctors had put him on. He griped and grumbled but for the most part had proven to Justin that he could change. The effort had allowed Justin to start forgiving his dad.

He drove back across the field to find Gus sitting alone in front of his tractor, a wide grin on his ugly face. Justin looked around, but there was no sign of Val, who usually took Gus to work with her. “Hey, buddy, where’s Mama?”

Gus lifted up his paw, dragging his nails across Justin’s jeans, and he noticed there was something attached to the dog’s leg. Bending down, he pulled off a bungee cord with a white piece of paper on it.

Opening it up, he read: WILL YOU MARRY ME, FARM BOY?

Laughing, Justin hollered, “I said I wanted roses and romance.”

Suddenly, rose petals began raining all around him, and he looked up to see Val hanging off the side of his tractor, an empty white bucket in her hand.

“You call that romance?” he said, helping her down, unable to keep the sappy grin off his face.

“Hell yeah. Plus there’s a present waiting for you on the seat of your tractor.”

“Is it my ring?”

“No, I have your ring,” she said, taking his hand and slipping a simple white gold band over his ring finger. “Justin Mathew Silverton, will you be my husband and let me love you until I can no longer laugh or likely control my bladder?”

“And they say romance is dead,” he teased, pulling her body into his as he kissed her, drawing out the moment until she broke away.

Val whispered, “Well?”

“Yeah, why not, I’m already shacking up with you. Might as well marry you and make you a tad bit respectable.”

Slapping his arm, she pulled away. “Go open your present and I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

She started walking away and he yelled, “It’ll be longer than a few. I have work to do.”

“We’ll see.”

Justin climbed up into the cab and saw a white box wrapped with a multicolored ribbon. Sitting down, he pulled the package into his lap and opened the card.

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