Page 97 of Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon, Idaho 4)

Caroline pulled it off before climbing inside, then glanced down at the total and laughed at the three-hundred-dollar scrap of paper. Her laughter soon turned to tears, and she laid her arms on her steering wheel, sobbing into them. Even if she saved Gabe’s reputation, she might have already lost him. He’d given her exactly what she’d needed, accepted her for who she was, but when he’d opened his heart and invited her inside, she’d bolted.

If it was the last thing she did, she would make it up to Gabe. Even if he never forgave her.

CAROLINE STOPPED BY the veterinary hospital on the way home to check on Googlie. Zoe had been happy to report that he was eating and drinking again and had started gaining weight. Caroline had been surprised to find out that Gabe had dropped Possum off on Friday to be with his brother. Apparently, it had been a turning point in Googlie’s improvement and although she was happy he was doing better, she’d asked Zoe to keep the kittens a few more days while Caroline sorted out Gabe’s situation. Luckily, Zoe agreed.

She parked in front of the bookstore, figuring that Gabe’s bike was in the back. When she reached the stairs, she found Ellie sitting at the top, waiting for her. Even from several feet away, she could see the bruises on her sister’s face and knew she’d taken a hell of a beating.

“Holy fuck, who the hell did this to you?”

“It was Kyle,” Ellie said quietly.

Caroline grabbed the railing, afraid she was going to hurl over the side. “You were seeing Kyle? He did this to you?”

“No, I was never seeing him. I swear,” she said, confusing the hell out of Caroline.

“Okay, you weren’t seeing Kyle, but he’s been beating the shit out of you?”

“I wanted to explain—”

“Why you’re pressing charges against Gabe?”

Ellie stood up, her eyes shifting away. “So, you heard?”

Okay, that pissed her off. On one hand, she was prepared to dismember Kyle, slowly and with a very dull knife, for hurting Ellie. But on the other hand, Ellie was acting like it was no big deal that Gabe was sitting in jail for something Kyle did.

What the fuck was going on?

“Oh yeah, I heard. What do you mean, oh, so you heard? Like it’s some casual piece of gossip in that stupid blog you follow?” Caroline’s voice rose until she was screaming, “You accused the man I love of assaulting you! Are you fucking insane? If Kyle did this to you, why the hell did you accuse Gabe?”

“Can we just go inside, please, and I’ll explain?” Ellie said, starting to stand but she was moving so slowly that Caroline finally put her arm around her sister to help her.

“I would just like to say that although part of me wants to strangle you, the fact that you wouldn’t tell Val or me that he was hurting you is just crazy. Why would you let him do this to you? Does he have something on you?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Good thing we’ve got some time, then.”

Inside, Caroline stopped when she caught sight of the kitchen, which had putty-filled holes in the walls. Some of the doors to the cabinets were on the floor, and there were tools everywhere.

Geez, talk about a disaster zone. She’d ask Gabe what had happened later, once she had him out of jail.

Lowering Ellie to the couch, Caroline plopped down next to her. “Okay, talk. Now.” When Ellie winced, Caroline reached out to take her hand. “Do you need something for the pain?”

“No, I took something earlier, but I can’t take painkillers if I’m gonna drive.”

“Okay,” Caroline said, waiting for Ellie to say more, but she seemed at a loss. “Start at the beginning. How did you get involved with Kyle?”

Ellie took a deep breath before answering. “Last year, I was driving home from a bar in Twin Falls, but I’d only had one drink, so I thought I was fine. That I could make it home. It wasn’t very far.”

Caroline thought back to Gabe’s own DUI and the tragic circumstances surrounding it. “You know better, Ellie.”

“I know. The worst part was that I drifted into the other lane and hit another car. The driver lived, but she had a broken leg and some other injuries. I freaked out and drove off,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “I was underage and driving under the influence. When I hit her, all I could think of was that my life was over. Then the police started investigating and offering rewards for witnesses. Kyle caught me trying to pop the dent out of my beamer, and when I confessed to him, he took care of it.”

“How, for God’s sake?” Caroline asked, horror mixing with her fury.

“He offered the woman a large settlement to change her story. Since no one else saw what happened, it was easier than I thought,” Ellie said, shaking her head. “But when I offered to pay Kyle out of my trust after I turned twenty-five, he said he didn’t want my money. He wanted a favor.”

“What did he want?” Caroline asked.

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