"I've waited years for a husband." Beth stopped in front of Tanner, her hazel eyes flashing indignantly. "To have someone who would wake up in my arms each morning, a baby to rock to sleep. Isn't that what all women dream of? So why am I so bad for wanting the same things?"

"You're not as long as you know I'm not good husband material." Tanner took a deep breath and tried not to reflect on what he could see beneath her sheer nightgown. "But you think you can soothe my hurts and make me care about you enough that I'll change my ways."

"I don't give a fig about your hurts."

Tanner didn't want to stop, "You think that beneath this rough exterior there's a man worth saving, worth turning into a husband. You're wrong."

God, how he wanted her even when she was pushing him, making him feel things he'd long forgotten. He still wanted to feel her arms around him, even while he was trying his best to push her away.

"I have a man waiting for me. Why would I want a coldhearted bastard like you?"

"Because the man waiting for you, doesn't make you feel like this," he said as he pulled her into his arms.