Santa Fe Fortune (11 page)

Worry lines creased Dan’s brow. “He wasn’t…? He didn’t hurt you, Gwen?”

“Physically, no. But if words were bullets, I’d be six feet under, that’s for sure.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, I am too. Sorry and tired. But mostly I’m tired of feeling sorry for myself. Bad things happen to good people, right? We talked about that in Taos. I understand now that I’m not particularly special. I was just there, in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“And now?” he asked, kind eyes imploring.

“Now I’m right where I want to be. I like who I am. I’m not silly or stupid. My work isn’t ridiculous. And you know what?”

Dan arched both eyebrows. “What?”

Gwen squared her shoulders and stood up a little straighter. “I think I’m interesting!”

Dan let loose a belly laugh, charmed and delighted by her. “I should say so! The fact of the matter is I believe you’re the most interesting person I’ve met.”

Gwen beamed from ear to ear, feeling as if she’d gotten hold of a giant balloon that was lifting her into space. “I’m glad that you think that, Dan. I find you pretty fascinating too.” With that, Gwen centered the fingers of her right hand on the gold wedding band and gave it a tug. It rose to her knuckle and stopped. She tilted her head at Dan. “Want to help me with this? I think it’s stuck.”

Dan shot her a grin that sent wild butterflies fluttering.

“That, Ms. Marsh, would be my pleasure.”

Nesting her fingers in his, Dan helped her with a small jerk that sent the ring sliding.

Gwen shook her head sadly at the outdated piece of jewelry in her palm, then closed it in her grip. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this,” she said with a grin. And then, with a fierce, long lob, she sent it arching into the Rio Grande River.

“Hey, people!” Gwen shouted merrily at the kayakers, who probably couldn’t hear her anyway. “I’m free! I’m totally free!”

They smiled and waved back at what they may have presumed to be a nutty woman, but Gwen didn’t care. Suddenly, she felt Dan’s arms around her as he pulled her close, snuggling her back against his chest. “I’m glad that you’re free,” he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. “I’d hate to think of myself as falling for a married woman.”

He spun her to face him then, and Gwen knew she was in heaven, caught between the river and his stunning blue eyes. “I’ve waited a long time to do this,” he said, his voice husky with desire.

Gwen was glad he’d steadied his arms around her, supporting the small of her back, because in this very instant she felt her knees giving way. Dan drew her closer, their mouths just a whisper apart. “God, you’re a beautiful woman,” he said, bringing his lips to hers.

At first, his kiss touched on her lightly, but then it deepened into a sweeping intensity that sent electricity rocketing through her. Her face was on fire, and her belly stirred with a primitive hunger that had nothing to do with food. Gwen wasn’t sure how long they stood there on that ledge overlooking the Rio Grande. All she knew was that she thought she heard hoots and hollers and resounding bouts of applause echoing from down below them in the canyon.

****

Chapter Eight

Dan’s BlackBerry rang as they approached town.

“Good timing,” Gwen said with a grin.

“Couldn’t be better,” Dan agreed, thinking that Gwen had picked an even better make-out spot than he’d planned. He must have enjoyed kissing that sumptuous mouth for over an hour. He just hoped those kayakers weren’t uploading the event on YouTube.

“Hello?” he said into his phone. “Really? That’s super.”

“Megan says your canvases are in,” he told Gwen. “Looks like everything arrived in order.”

Gwen beamed at him as he quickly finished up, telling Megan they’d be by shortly.

“Mind if we stop by the gallery?” he asked Gwen, thinking she wouldn’t. “I’d like the artist to double-check things personally. If it all looks fine, I’ll ask Megan to come in early and hang them on the back wall as a series.”

“Do you think Megan will care?”

“About getting up early? Yes, probably. About the extra bit of cash that will be added to her paycheck, not one bit.”

Gwen laughed lightly in a musical way that Dan knew he could get used to.

“Thanks for taking me to Taos,” she said, warm brown eyes sparkling.

Dan smiled softly at this sweet, wonderful woman. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

A crimson blush streaked her cheeks. “I had better than a good time,” she said seductively.

“Yeah,” he said, already a bit wistful the memory. “Me too.”

“Dan,” she said after a bit, “is there something special I should wear?”

“Wear?” he asked, suddenly thrown off kilter by the change in tack.

“Tomorrow, silly. For when the buyers come by.”

They came to a stoplight, and Dan scanned Gwen from her head to her ultra-sexy toes.

“It’s a Friday, so we’ll get more than our usual flow. It would be good if we could introduce you as our feature artist and have some sort of small reception.”

“That would be lovely,” she said with an excited grin. “Are you sure you can pull something together so last-minute?”

“Megan’s very good at these things. She usually puts out wine and cheeses on Fridays anyway. No reason she can’t add a fresh bouquet of flowers and scatter around some of your business cards. You do have business cards?” he asked with concern.

“Why, yes, of course! I made them on my home computer, so they’re not the most professional, but they’ll probably do in a pinch.”

 
“That’s excellent, then. Why don’t you let me set the whole thing up and encourage any browsers who come by during the day to stop back in the evening to meet you?”

“Sort of like building suspense?” she said happily. “I like it! But you still haven’t told me what I should wear?”

“Anything you’re comfortable with. You might want to dress up a little but include something that shows your personal style.”

“Like my new cowgirl boots?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Good Lord was she a sexy woman. One
habañero
-pepper-hot-looking woman. And she kissed like a house on fire. “Those would be fine,” he said, cranking the AC up a notch.

Gwen was excited at the idea of a reception and still glowing from their kissing session by the Rio Grande. It had been a wonderful day, maybe even one of the best in her life.

“How many people do you think might drop by?” she asked.

“Somewhere between twenty and two hundred,” he said with a grin. “I’m really betting my money on the women from Texas.”

“Texas?”

“Two sisters out here on vacation and interested in making artistic investments.”

Gwen thought of the toned, tanned, and lovely set she’d spied him talking to through the window. “Tall blondes?” she asked.

Dan’s face scrunched up in a puzzled expression. “Yes, but how did you…?”

“Oh, I saw a pair like that perusing the galleries the other day. They did seem be carrying terribly big purses.”

“Let’s hope they hold awfully big wallets.” Little lines tugged at the edges of his mouth. “In any case,” he added, “I’m hopeful that tomorrow night will be a success. You’ll accomplish your goal before going home.” Gwen felt an immediate one-two punch to her stomach.

No sooner had he said this than he appeared to think better of it, pursing his lips.

“I’m sorry,” Dan said quietly. “I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s all right,” Gwen said, though her shaky voice betrayed her.

“Gwen,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand. He held it firmly in his but couldn’t seem to force out further words.

She gave his hand a tight squeeze, gathering her courage. Then, with shoulders back and chin raised, she said, “We both knew the timeline when we started.”

Gwen never really imagined how horrible it would feel coming to the end of it. The girl who’d rationalized all that philosophical nonsense about stepping stones seemed a million miles away right now.

“I want to thank you again for everything,” she said softly. “Selling those canvases for me is a big deal, probably bigger than you imagine.”

“Then we’re going to do it,” he said firmly. He shot her a sincere look. “I won’t let you leave New Mexico without what you came for. There may not be a lot I can promise you. But I can promise you that.”

Dan sat gloomily at his desk, thumbing through paperwork. His and Gwen’s incredible day trip to Taos had ended on an unexpected down note. But then, what had he anticipated? Did Dan really imagine that he and Gwen could remain in that blissful bubble of denial forever? First thing Monday morning, she was flying back to North Carolina. That had never been any sort of secret. Still, he’d let himself get caught up in the notion that it was only now that mattered. He’d gone so far as to entrust Gwen with his secrets and tell her about his family. She’d been amazing in how she’d handled things and then later had opened up to him. The joy that shone from her face when she’d tossed that ring into the Rio Grande River was nothing short of spectacular. Then there’d been that kiss to beat all kisses, the one that sent lightning raging through his veins and made him hungry for even more of her. But there was to be no more of her. Within another few days, she’d be gone. The sooner Dan set himself straight about that, the better.

Dan laid aside his papers as Megan bustled around the gallery, getting things ready. She’d done the hanging first thing, and everything looked superb, with Gwen’s canvases showcased in an optimal spot beneath the skylights. Dan had already put in several calls but was only a third of the way through his list. Despite what he’d said to Gwen, he couldn’t count on the Texas twosome to bite. From what he’d seen of them, they’d probably be more apt to, given competition. And if nobody came through, Dan had a backup plan. It was the least he could do. Besides, he’d already made a promise to Gwen.

“Megan?” he called out to her. “Can I speak with you a moment?”

She looked up from a huge vase in which she tastefully arranged flowers. “What’s up?”

Okay, so he was determined to do it, but he didn’t want to shout it across the gallery. “Could you, please…” He motioned for her to come over. “It will only take a second.”

She stopped what she was doing and came and sat in the chair in front of him. “Is this something about the reception tonight? Because if you want me to stay late, the fact is I already came in early and—”

“No, not at all,” he said, subverting her worry. “I’ll stay and clean up. I wouldn’t expect you do that on top of all you’ve already done.” He gave her an easy smile, and she relaxed in her chair.

“Great! Thanks.”

Dan laced his fingers together in a businesslike fashion. “The truth is I wanted to speak to you about the sale of Ms. Marsh’s canvases.”

“Yeah. They’re pretty good, huh? I think they’ll move, don’t you?”

“I’m actually interested in guaranteeing that.”

Megan scrunched up her pixie-like face. “Like how?”

Dan cleared his throat, trying to sound natural. “If all five haven’t sold by nine fifteen—”

“All five? Do you seriously think that’s possible?”

Dan sent her an enigmatic grin. “I’d say it’s certain that all five will sell by nine thirty.”

“Uh-oh, I smell subterfuge.” She mulled this over a moment, then asked impishly, “What do you want me to do?”

Gwen sat in the cool quiet of her suite, sipping a rosehips-and-cinnamon tea. She’d walked around town for a bit to release her pent-up energy, but being out in the heat had only made her more anxious. She didn’t know what she was nervous about, for heaven’s sake. She’d had her work on display before and had spoken to people about it. Those other times were small events, though, and this was the big-time. This time, Gwen needed to walk away with a substantial cash sum. Gwen felt herself growing sweaty and instinctively reached to twist the band on her finger. She looked down with happy surprise, noting it was gone. Gone, chucked clear into the rapids of the Rio Grande River, never to be seen again. It had been such an exhilarating moment, yet in some ways she was numbed by it. Part of her still felt as if she were in a daze, unable to grasp that terrible phase of her existence was over.

Something she recalled with utter vibrancy was the way Dan had held her. Her senses tingled at the memory of the kiss that went on and on and on… Her first assessment of Dan as a world-class kisser had been right on the money. Gwen felt a tender ache in her chest. She was falling hard for Dan, but within another couple of days, she’d be gone. Just as they were really getting to know each, the fates would tear them apart, sending her back to North Carolina and Dan to his life on Paradise Ranch.

Gwen chided herself for the self-pity. She
hadn’t flown out here to fall in love. She’d come to sell her art, and hopefully this evening, that was exactly what she’d do.
Gwen stared down at the empty spot on her ring finger, thinking of the hurt Robert had caused her. Now, completely without meaning to, someone quite the opposite, a true prince of a man, stood to crush her as well. Maybe getting involved with Dan had been the wrong thing. But the more she was with him, the more she wanted to be around him. This was sure to make it extra painful when she had to go. Gwen recognized the fullness in her eyes as welling tears. She set down her mug and dabbed them with a napkin, knowing she’d not made things any easier on herself.