Page 15 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

Caroline’s raspy laugh sounded in her ear. “I’m trying, but all I’m getting are frat boys and dingbats.”

“Hang in there; someone fantastic will show up.”

“I hope so because I hate tending bar. There’s a reason I wanted to own bars and not work in them; drunken idiots piss me off,” Caroline said, and Val chuckled. Her sister was definitely not the goddess of patience. “Listen, the reason I was calling is to see how you’d feel about me settling down closer to home.”

Val was shocked silent for half a second before she yelled, “Are you kidding? Yes! Come home! Come home now!”

“I’m not talking Rock Canyon, if I can help it—too many bridges burned—but maybe Buhl or Gooding. Depends on whether I can find a space for sale, but I wanted to run the idea past you—”

“Seriously, you don’t even have to ask. You’re my sister, and if you want to crash with me until you find something, I’m all good with that. Ellie’s in the spare room now, but she can be demoted to the couch if she doesn’t make up with Dad.”

“Ah, dear old Dad. There’s one person who won’t appreciate me moving back to town,” Caroline said, chuckling. “Actually, the people-who-would-be-happy-to-see-me list is probably a lot shorter than the people-who-wish-I-was-hit-by-a-bus list.”

“Fuck everyone else. You’ve got Ellie and me, and that’s all you need.”

“Thanks, Vali. So, what did Ellie do to piss him off?”

“Screwed two of the Thompson boys.”

“Together? Um . . . weird.”

“No, behind the other’s back. But one of them walked in on her with the other and chaos ensued. That new gossip columnist did a piece on it, and now Dad’s all pissed off.”

“Ah, I remember those days fondly. Tell baby sister I’m proud of her for scoring brothers.”

“Seriously, no. She needs no encouragement.”

“Oh, when did you become such a stiff?” Caroline asked, and Val frowned. This was the second time someone had told

her she needed to stop being so uptight; no one had ever called her that in her life. “I remember a time when you used to call me after leaving a guy’s house, and the first thing out of your mouth was, ‘I am so going to hell.’ What happened to that girl?”

“Nothing; she’s still here. But there’s a difference between being in full capacity of your senses and doing something stupid, like getting so drunk you can’t protect yourself.”

Caroline was quiet on the line for a minute. “How many times do I have to tell you that what happened to Natalie wasn’t your fault?”

Val closed her eyes, fighting back her memories, and said, “Let’s change the subject.”

“Fine. What’s up with you on the man front?”

What was the deal with everyone’s noses being shoved into her love life? “Absolutely nothing,” Val lied, ignoring the flashback to Justin’s kiss.

“I can’t believe it. More than two months go by and I start getting antsy without a little sausage.”

“On that note,” Val said, refilling her coffee cup, “I need to get ready for my day.”

“Fine, don’t listen to your sister, but it’s only natural. Believe me, you need regular orgasms or you’ll become a very unhappy woman.”

“I have regular orgasms, thank you.”

“Natural ones, not ones that come from batteries. Don’t you know those things desensitize your—”

“Good-bye, Caroline.”

“I love you! Miss you!”

“Me too,” Val said and clicked off, shaking her head. She wasn’t really embarrassed by Caroline’s frank speech, but thinking about it also made her think about Justin, who she could just see shirtless and gorgeous, spread out on her bed waiting for her.

But even if she were interested in a boy toy, he wouldn’t be the type. Justin was the kind of small-town guy who wanted marriage to the perfect wife and mother. She’d already failed at being a wife, and the other wasn’t likely in the cards for her. Why go there?

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