Page 2 of Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines (Rock Canyon, Idaho 3)

About the Author

By Codi Gary

An Excerpt from Falling for Owen by Jennifer Ryan

An Excerpt from Good Girls Don’t Date Rock Stars by Codi Gary

Copyright

About the Publisher

Dedication

To my children, Hunter and Rylie.

You are the best gift I ever received and my greatest joy.

I love you.

Chapter One

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VALERIE WILLIS REACHED for a bottle of Merlot, located on the highest shelf of Hall’s Market, and cursed the shelves’ discrimination against short people. Just barely over five feet, she had a step stool at home for when she needed something high, but out in public, it was like the world conspired against her.

She’d walked to the end of the aisle, trying to get someone’s attention, but the only person who’d acknowledged her had been one of the checkers, and all she’d gotten from her was a look of disapproval.

It was no secret that the people of Rock Canyon thought the Willis sisters were trashy, despite the fact that their father ran a successful law firm and was a former Rock Canyon mayor and state representative. They came from a very wealthy family with connections in high places and yet none of that had saved Val’s older sister, Caroline, from being called a “man-stealer” when she’d barely hit eighteen, or her younger sister, Ellie, from picking up a wild reputation. Val had thought she’d escaped small-town life with barely a dent, but all it had taken was a very high-profile, public divorce, and she became the worst of “those Willis girls.”

Now, she half-wondered if people were standing around the corner with video cameras, watching her struggle for kicks, but decided that no one would be that petty.

Just as she was about to start climbing shelves, a voice behind her asked, “Do you need some help with that?”

Val spun around in surprise and came face-to-face with a very impressive chest under a dark gray shirt. Slowly, her eyes traveled up over the wide expanse of shoulders and a smooth, square jawline that would tempt even the sanest woman to stroke it. When her eyes passed the wide grin to meet amused golden brown eyes, her brain had a severe malfunction.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen Justin Silverton around town since moving back, but it was the first time they’d actually said a word to each other in ten years. Not since that night at the high school. That night was one of a handful of unforgettable memories that still made her smile, but that was all he was: a nice memory.

She had to crane her neck to look up at him. Had he always been so tall?

“Valerie? You okay?” Justin asked, that one lone dimple in his left cheek hypnotizing her.

She had been asking herself that question since she’d moved back to town a year ago, holing up like a hermit with only her dog for company. She’d been trying to avoid her father, the people in town, and any man between the ages of 25 and 45, but she had to come out sometime.

The man in front of her was definitely in the to-be-avoided category. Not only had he made her lose her head ten years ago, but it was because of him that she’d spent her last two years of high school in an all-girls school.

Okay, so it wasn’t actually Justin’s fault her dad hated his guts and had wanted her as far away from him as possible, but still, a man like that was dangerous. She’d been with men, had experienced some crazy nights since, but the one night they’d hung out always crept up on her at odd times. She’d been a young woman taking her first big rebellious leap, and he’d been on leave from the Marines, just passing time. The attraction had been instantaneous, like the flick of a lighter, and obviously there was still a spark or she wouldn’t be standing there like an idiot, speechless.

The concern on his face broke through her dumbstruck daze. “Sorry, Justin, I guess I need coffee this morning.” His gaze shifted to the Local Bean Coffee Shop cup in her cart and she amended, “More coffee.”

“Gotcha.” He stepped up next to her and the smell of his cologne was intoxicating. She caught herself before she leaned right in and buried her nose in his chest, but it was a close call.

Why was she acting like a lust-filled Pepé Le Pew?

A few reasons popped into her head, the first being that Justin was grade-A hot male and completely worthy of her drool. Another had to do with the fact that it had been almost two years since she’d slept with anyone. The last reason was that of all the guys in Rock Canyon, Idaho, Justin had been the only one ever to treat her like more than Mayor Willis’s daughter or one of “those Willis girls.”

“Is this the one you want?” Justin pulled down the bottle she’d been trying to reach and held it out to her.

Clearing her throat, she took it with a smile, hoping he couldn’t read the crazy on her face. “Thanks. I couldn’t find a bag boy, and I’m too vertically challenged for the high shelf.”

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