Married to a Marine

by Cathie Linz

  “No business? My sister is my business.”

  “How did you find me?” Kelly asked, attempting to prevent Justice and Barbie from any further fighting, even though she knew that was probably a hopeless cause.

  “I dropped by your town house in Nashville and your neighbor told me you were treating your sister’s ex-husband on some deserted island.”

  Kelly cursed herself for giving her neighbor that much information. But she’d had to tell someone where she was going, and her neighbor was taking in her mail for her and watering her houseplants while she was gone.

  “Daddy is not pleased, either,” Barbie added.

  “You told our father?” Her voice reflected her dismay.

  “Of course I did. He’s on business in California or he would have come out here himself.” Barbie shifted her gorgeous blue eyes from Kelly to the man beside her. “I can’t believe you’ve sunk this low, Justice.”

  “And how low is that, Barbie?” he shot back.

  “Trying to get back at me by seducing my sister.”

  Kelly sputtered. “He didn’t…he wasn’t…” She couldn’t even get the words out. “Tell her, Justice.”

  “Yes, tell me, Justice,” Barbie drawled with her perfect Southern lady accent. “Swear on your honor as a Marine that you weren’t out for a little revenge here.”

  Kelly waited for him to do so. She waited in vain.

  “Justice?” Her voice was uncertain.

  “I don’t have to swear anything. The days of you ordering me around are long gone,” Justice told Barbie.

  “Just tell her it isn’t true,” Kelly said. “Please, Justice. Tell her it isn’t true.”

  Silence.

  “He can’t,” Barbie said. “Because it is true.”

  No. No. It couldn’t be true. Justice wouldn’t have done something that cruel. Would he?

  He would if his anger at Barbie went deep enough.

  Memories came tumbling back as Kelly replayed the conversation with Mrs. Wilder in her head. I told him about Barbie’s engagement. That had been the day they’d started water therapy in the ocean, the day Justice had taken his flirting to a new level.

  He’d never mentioned Barbie’s engagement, never given Kelly any indication of his reaction to the news. She should have asked him, but she’d been distracted.

  And then there was that bitter comment he’d made the first day she’d arrived: Haven’t you Hart women messed up my life enough already?

  Revenge. Was that all that motivated Justice? Had he merely used Kelly as an instrument to get back at Barbie? Was he yet another man not seeing her for herself?

  She stared at Justice’s tightly controlled features, willing him to say something to make matters right, hoping against hope that she’d see something in his eyes that would make her believe…

  But there was nothing there aside from anger at Barbie. And beneath that…a flash of guilt.

  Kelly’s breath caught as pain rammed into her with the force of a tidal wave. It was true. There was no other reason Justice wouldn’t deny it, no reason at all. She hadn’t expected him to bare his soul, but she’d never anticipated that he’d just stand there without saying a word in his own defense.

  He couldn’t swear on his honor as a Marine that he hadn’t used her, because it was true. He had used her to get back at Barbie. Kelly cringed at how easy she’d made it for him, how quickly she’d fallen for him.

  “Was that your plan?” Kelly demanded. “To seduce me? And what, then go tell Barbie about it?”

  “There was no plan…” Justice finally said.

  “How unlike a Marine,” Kelly angrily interrupted him. “I thought you always went into battle with a plan. And this was a battle all along, wasn’t it? A battle between you and my sister.”

  Kelly had studied anatomy, she knew that medically speaking a heart couldn’t actually shatter and break. But it sure felt that way to her, as if her heart was shattering into tiny pieces.

  She couldn’t fall apart here. She was the one who always managed, the one who could handle anything. Except this.

  “I don’t want to settle for a man who is still hung up on my sister.” The words were out of Kelly’s mouth before she could stop them.

  “You don’t have to settle at all,” Justice replied, obviously stung by her use of that word.

  “No, I don’t,” Kelly said quietly. “And I don’t have to stay here, either.”

  “That’s right,” Barbie said, coming to her side. “I’ve got a boat waiting to take us back to the mainland. Pack up your stuff and we’ll get out of here.”

  “It won’t take me long.” Kelly had already re-fastened her shirt and was stuffing her remaining clothing into her backpack with lightning speed. She ignored the trembling of her fingers, blocked out the churning in her stomach and held on to her anger to see her through the utter misery.

  “So much for your fancy words about not abandoning those you love,” Justice said. “Sticking like glue was the way you put it.”

  “I never said I love you,” Kelly shot back, grateful that she hadn’t exposed herself to that extent.

  “I was referring to the aforementioned canine.” Justice pointed to the still-open front door where Chocolate sat looking at Kelly with forlorn eyes.

  “I’m not leaving Chocolate,” Kelly stated. “I’m taking him with me.”

  Barbie eyed the animal with dismay.

  Gathering up her backpack, Kelly turned to face Justice. “I’ll fax your physician a written report on your physical therapy.”

  “Don’t bother.”

  She ignored his words. “You should continue the exercises and return for another medical evaluation. I’ve helped you all I can, the rest is up to you,” she told him before leaving with her sister and the aforementioned canine.

  Justice stared at the door, telling himself he was well rid of those Hart women, telling himself that Kelly shouldn’t have believed her sister, telling himself that he didn’t have to answer to Barbie. And in between telling himself all that, Justice was also wondering…wondering how things could have gone so wrong so quickly.

  An hour later Justice was out on the deck, nursing a cold beer, when he heard the front door open. Adrenaline rushed through his system, filling the gaping hole caused by Kelly’s departure. Leaping to his feet, he rushed inside.

  “I knew you’d come back…” Justice began, and then stopped when he realized it wasn’t Kelly but his buddy Striker who stood in the doorway.

  “Of course I came back. I live here.” Striker dumped a duffle bag on the floor. At the moment he looked more like a surfer than a Marine with his dark tan, khaki shorts and outrageous Hawaiian shirt in neon yellow and lime. “You were expecting someone else?”

  “Not really.”

  “So you’ve developed some sort of ESP that lets you know someone’s whereabouts?” his buddy mocked him. “That kind of talent could come in real handy for a Force Recon Marine.”

  “My C.O. called this morning and told me that my squad shipped out without me.”

  “Yeah, I heard. That stinks.”

  “Is that why you’re here?”

  “Nah, I came to do a little fishing.”

  “Yeah, right.” Justice’s throat tightened with emotion. Striker was a loyal friend. But guys didn’t talk about junk like that.

  Emotions had always been a land mine to be avoided as far as Justice was concerned. His divorce had only reaffirmed that tendency. And his work with Force Recon made him doubt people’s motives, question their actions.

  He’d been sitting out on the deck reviewing what had happened over and over again. What if the something he’d sensed Kelly had been hiding from him all along was the fact that she had a thing for him?

  Yes, she’d told him that overbearing Marines weren’t her type. But she wasn’t the type of woman to let him get that intimate with her otherwise.

  They’d almost made love, would have made love if his ex-wife hadn’t stormed
in on them.

  Kelly had promised him that she wouldn’t go all goofy over him, but what if she hadn’t been able to keep that promise? He’d promised himself that he wouldn’t get involved with her, and he’d certainly broken that promise.

  Kelly loved him. He tested that theory like someone testing a new filling after going to the dentist. He needed to talk to her, he needed to find out if it was true.

  “So how’s it going here?” Striker asked.

  “Did you happen to see a woman with caramel-colored wavy hair getting into a boat down at the dock?” Justice casually asked.

  “I saw a skinny blonde in a white pantsuit.”

  “My ex-wife.”

  “A real looker, but seems very high maintenance.”

  Justice nodded. “You’ve got that right.”

  “So why are you interested in the other woman?”

  “I’m not interested, I was just wondering. She was my physical therapist.”

  “And she took off with your ex-wife?” Striker raised an eyebrow. “What’s that about?”

  “She’s also my ex-wife’s younger sister.”

  Striker shook his head. “Jeez, Wilder, that could get messy.”

  “It did.”

  “So what happened? The ex-wife walk in on you and her sister?” Seeing the look on Justice’s face, Striker said, “That’s it, isn’t it? So I missed the catfight?”

  “There was no catfight.”

  “Too bad.” Striker hooked a beer from the fridge with one hand and grabbed a bag of chips with his other on his way out to the back deck. Stopping in his tracks, he returned to the fridge. “Is that homemade lasagna I see in here?”

  “Yeah. How did you know it’s homemade?”

  “Because frozen doesn’t look or smell like this.” Striker lifted the plastic wrap and closed his eyes in ecstasy as he ate the first bite with a fork. “Who is responsible for this delicious dish?”

  “You’re eating it cold, how can it be delicious?”

  “As you know, I’ve eaten beetles and snakes when the situation warrants it. Believe me this is delicious. Want some?”

  Justice shook his head. His stomach was in knots. “I know what it tastes like.”

  “And you don’t think it’s great? I had no idea that Earl sold anything in his tiny store that could be turned into this heavenly dish.”

  “She brought the stuff with her.”

  Striker took another bite. “She who? Who made it? Give me her name so I can marry her immediately.”

  “Forget it.”

  “Oh, so you want to keep her for yourself, huh? I can understand that. I wouldn’t share if I were you, either. Does she live here on the island?”

  “No, she took off in a boat with my ex-wife.”

  “You mean your physical therapist made this for you? Man, I’ve clearly been going to the wrong hospitals.” Striker dropped the bag of chips and instead grabbed the entire pan of lasagna before going to the deck. “So what’s this girl’s name?”

  “She’s not a girl. She’s a woman.”

  Striker paused. “Uh-oh.”

  “Uh-oh?” Justice repeated in irritation. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I leave you alone for three weeks and you go and fall for a woman.” Striker sadly shook his head. “I expected better of you, buddy.”

  “I did not fall in love with Kelly!” Justice growled.

  “Oh, so that’s her name. I like it. And her lasagna.” Striker took another bite along with a sip of his beer. “Caramel-colored wavy hair, you say? Yeah, now that I think on it, I do recall seeing her on the dock. Long sexy hair, big brown eyes, legs to die for, and she was toting a big dog.”

  “So she did take the aforementioned canine.”

  “A woman who cooks like an angel, looks great and likes dogs. Sounds like heaven to me. If you don’t marry her, I will.”

  “Stop saying that.”

  “Why do you care?”

  “I don’t.”

  Striker didn’t say a word, just gave him a look.

  Justice relented. “Okay, so maybe she did get to me a little….”

  Striker’s gaze didn’t waver one iota.

  “I’m no good at love,” Justice bit out. “Especially not with my ex-wife’s sister.”

  “Too hard for you, huh? Still stuck on your ex?”

  “No way.”

  “Then what’s the problem? How does she feel about you? Was Kelly just out for a fast roll in the sack with a Marine? Was that the problem? If so, I can oblige her with that—”

  The words were barely out of Striker’s mouth when Justice grabbed his colorful shirtfront. “Take that back! Kelly isn’t like that.”

  Striker just grinned at him. “Yep, you’re in love. I can see why that would scare you spitless.”

  “I’m a Marine,” Justice ground the words out between clenched teeth. “We don’t scare easy.”

  “Not easy, no. But love, man, that’s a dangerous thing. Plenty to be scared about there. Especially for us Marines.”

  Justice slowly released his buddy’s shirt and sank onto a nearby canvas deck chair.

  “I take it from that stupefied look on your face, that it’s finally occurred to you what’s wrong with you,” Striker said.

  “She got to me, that’s all,” Justice muttered. “Got under my skin.”

  Striker nodded. “I hear that’s one of the symptoms. Grabbing your best friend and threatening him bodily harm over a woman is another sure sign.”

  Justice swore.

  “Whatever you want to call it, it’s love, buddy. And you’ve got my deepest sympathy,” Striker added. “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes for anything in the world.”

  “So what do I do now?”

  “If you want her, go after her.”

  “I don’t even know where she lives in Nashville. But my mother does.”

  “Your mother?” Striker repeated in disbelief. “What does your mother have to do with this?”

  “I’ll explain later.” Justice grabbed his cell phone and called home.

  “Justice, it’s so good to hear from you,” his mom said, her voice reflecting her pleasure.

  Never one to beat around the bush, Justice said, “Mom, what’s Kelly’s phone number and address in Nashville?”

  He should have known his mother wouldn’t make it easy for him. “Why don’t you ask her?”

  “Because she’s not here right now.”

  “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied.

  “You don’t know?” his mom repeated suspiciously. “What did you do?”

  “What makes you think I did anything?”

  “Because Kelly wouldn’t have left that island early unless you drove her away. What did you do?”

  “I can’t go into it right now…” Justice began when she interrupted him.

  “Then I can’t give you Kelly’s phone number.”

  “Fine. I’ll call information.”

  “She has an unlisted number. But I don’t, which is how Kelly’s father was able to reach me about ten minutes ago. Care to tell me how he found out that Kelly was there with you?”

  Justice sighed. “Barbie told him.”

  “How did Barbie find out?”

  “It’s a long story, Mom. Look, just give me Kelly’s number. I have to talk to her.”

  Striker grabbed the phone from him and shouted into it, “The poor sap is totally besotted with Kelly.” He then handed the phone back to Justice.

  “Who was that?” Mrs. Wilder demanded.

  “My ex-buddy Striker.” Justice glared at him.

  “Is what he said true? Is that why you want Kelly’s phone number? Because you love her?”

  Justice tried not to squirm. Jeez, this was his idea of torture, having to confess his emotions. He’d rather have bamboo shoots stuck under his finger-nails. He’d rather eat ground glass and beetles. He’d rather walk over hot coals.

  “Is Dad a
round?” he asked somewhat desperately.

  “Your father is playing golf. Or trying to.” She sighed before relenting. “If I do give you Kelly’s number, you have to swear to me that you won’t hurt her again.”

  “What do you mean again?” he said defensively.

  “I mean she wouldn’t have left in the first place if you hadn’t hurt her. Don’t do it again, Justice. Or you’ll have to answer to me. Are we clear on that?”

  “Affirmative.” He quickly scribbled down the information she gave him.

  “And, Justice, before you get to Nashville, I suggest you practice your speech.”

  He frowned. “What speech is that?”

  “The one that will convince Kelly to let you back into her life.”

  Chapter Ten

  “I can’t believe you brought that mangy dog with you. Look what he’s done to my pantsuit,” Barbie demanded as they stood in the marina parking lot. The boat ride back to the mainland had been fast and uneventful, aside from the fact that Chocolate kept wanting to jump ship.

  Kelly had focused her attention on keeping the dog onboard, which prevented her from paying attention to her sister’s nonstop complaints. It also prevented her from thinking about Justice and the way he hadn’t even bothered denying Barbie’s accusation. The thing was, he hadn’t just kept quiet—for a brief second Kelly had seen a flash of guilt in his eyes before he’d shut down and emotionally removed himself from the situation.

  Not that he really had removed himself because, after all, he had seemed completely capable of expressing his anger at his ex-wife. Kelly wondered what had ever made her think that she could erase the memories of their relationship from Justice’s mind. She couldn’t. He was firmly entrenched in the love-hate thing he had going with Barbie, so much so that he’d used Kelly as a way of striking back at Barbie.

  Kelly had known she was walking into a hornet’s nest when she’d answered Mrs. Wilder’s call for help. She’d seen the dangers, and yet that hadn’t prevented her from falling for Justice all over again. Only this time she wasn’t a naive thirteen-year-old with a crush on her older sister’s boyfriend; this time she was a woman in love with the wrong man.