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"I don't know," she mused. "I was always wandering around my father's mansion with my nose in a book. My mother always caught me and scolded me for being unladylike. She said real ladies didn't read, they worked to become better wives for their future husbands."

"Wow," he said and his mouth was hanging open slightly.

"Maybe I should've listened," Beth bit her lip and averted her eyes. What if she hadn't spent enough time learning how to be a good wife and he could tell? What if she wasn't a good enough wife and made him miserable?

Ethan used the side of his index finger tip gently tip her chin up so she was looking at him. "Beth, I like the fact that you read. Smart women are sexy."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

He said it with enough conviction that she almost believe him. Almost. Not that she thought he was lying -- she didn't -- but after years of hearing her mother say it, it was rather stuck in her head.

"She always told me I didn't help enough. She said if I wasn't helpful, I wouldn't