Santa Fe Fortune (6 page)

She stared at him, mortified. “I’m so embarrassed,” she began.

“Don’t be,” he offered kindly. “I get Camembert in mine all the time.”

She scanned his face for the hint of a smile but couldn’t detect one beneath his deadpan.

“This time, I know you’re teasing,” she said, and the moment between them lightened.

Small lines tugged at the corners of his mouth as blue eyes crinkled. “Something tells me you’re getting to know me too well.” His gaze held a hint of longing mixed with caution. “Wine and cheese isn’t much of a dinner. I know a place with great steaks, if you’d like to join me?”

Gwen knew she was wrong to say yes. Everything inside her screamed
caution, slippery roads ahead
. But all Gwen wanted to do was get in that spectacular sports car and drive.

“I’d love to,” she said, accepting his invitation.

Dan led them down a side street to an elegant outdoor restaurant set a few blocks from the plaza. The shaded pathway to its entrance bypassed the abutting
Loretto
Chapel, a notable nineteenth-century structure in Gothic Revival style, complete with buttresses and spires.

“Have you been in there?” Dan asked as they strolled by the wind art adorning the chapel’s lawn.

Gwen admired the huge hands of the whimsical brass structures cupping and turning in the breeze as the sun sank low. “Not yet.”

Her view panned to a fanciful wood carving of a man guarding the chapel door.

“Saint Joseph,” Dan said, indicating the statue. “I’ll tell you the story over dinner. You do believe in miracles?” He was smiling at her in a playful way.

A shiver shimmied down Gwen’s spine, as she thought it was nothing short of miraculous that she was here, right now, with him. Dan Holbrook was not just a feast for the eyes, he was funny and kind and apparently enjoying her company. Plus, he made her feel beautiful. Not just because he’d said it. It was in the way he looked at her, all the time.

“I’ll keep an open mind,” she said, smiling back at him.

Dan shoved his hand in his pocket to prevent himself from reaching out and taking hers. In some ways, it would have seemed natural as he led her toward the maître d. In others, it was completely absurd! Dan heaved a sigh, grateful good sense had prevailed.

“Are you all right?” she asked, chocolate-brown eyes imploring.

“Just taking in the evening,” he said, thankful there was no wait for a table.

He ordered them filet mignon with a mushroom, red pepper, and sherry reduction, Caesar salads to start, and a choice bottle of Chilean red wine. Dan didn’t want to mess this up. Gwen’s dinner had to be perfect. He’d slipped the maître d an unseen tip to ensure it. He’d also told Gwen upfront that the meal was on him. He’d seen the way her brow had knitted slightly as she’d surveyed the menu prices. Dan wasn’t sure what sort of money trouble she was in, but he could bet her budget didn’t include places like this one.

“The service is fabulous here,” Gwen said as her water glass magically refilled.

Dan had the impression Gwen wasn’t used to men treating her right. He was glad to be able to change that, to show her that not all men were schmucks, maybe just the ones she’d previously run into.
“Wait until you taste the food.”

She smiled sweetly over the rim of her wineglass. “
This
carménère
is delicious. I’m so glad I got to try it.”

“Should go well with the steak,” Dan said, hoping he’d scored a point. For the life of him, he wanted to impress this woman. She looked prettier than ever, sitting there relaxed in the candle’s glow. He compared her now to how she’d appeared yesterday afternoon in the gallery, anxiously combative, like if he didn’t see things her way, there’d be hell to pay. He probably liked this Gwen better. Though the truth of the matter was Dan didn’t really mind the other one much at all. He could see a man getting used to a balanced measure of them both.

Dan took a sip of wine, knowing he was letting his emotions get the best of him. That was a dangerous mountain to climb when he understood what was on the other side: a clean downhill slide where his heart would take a tumble. Elena had been quite detailed in enumerating his faults.

A crescent moon rose as a smattering of stars poured onto the canvas of the night sky above them. Their salads arrived, artfully served and in a timely fashion.

“So, are you going to tell me the story?” she asked eagerly.

Dan was happy for the chance to take his mind off his gloomy thoughts. “Ah yes, the story of
Loretto
Chapel,” he said, setting down his glass. He leaned forward on his elbows and lowered his voice. “And its mysterious spiral staircase.”

“Staircase?” she asked with surprise.

“Legend has it the staircase in
Loretto
Chapel arrived as a miracle. Some to this day may dispute it, but many others do not.”

“Go on,” she pressed, intrigued.

“Rumor holds that when the chapel was completed in the eighteen hundreds, the dear nuns who lived there noted there was no staircase to get them to the choir loft on the upper level.”

“Oh my!”

“So they prayed for nine days for a miracle. On the tenth day, an unknown carpenter appeared and offered to complete the task. He built the freestanding staircase all by himself without using glue, nails, or any central support. Then, as soon as he was done, the stranger disappeared just as mysteriously as he’d arrived, without ever having identified himself or demanding any payment. The good sisters of
Loretto
naturally took this as a miracle, and the man to have been Saint Joseph himself. The proof I believe lies in the number of steps of the freestanding structure, made of a wood not even found in this region.”

“Well?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.

“Thirty-three. The age of Jesus Christ.”

Gwen leaned back in her chair with a delighted laugh. “That’s wonderful! What a fantastic story.”

“It’s not a story,” he said with mock defensiveness. “It’s a miracle.” The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and Gwen could tell he was repressing a smile. She was finally starting to read him, and for a girl who didn’t like to read, that said a lot.

Gwen cocked an eyebrow and shot him an impish smile. “Do you believe in miracles, Dan?”

He captured her with his gaze, stilling her heart for a fraction of a second. “Let’s just say I believe most things in life can be rationally explained.”

“Most things don’t mean all,” she bantered lightly.

He raised his glass to hers as their salad plates were cleared and the entrées arrived. “You’ve got me there.” Everything smelled delicious. Gwen couldn’t wait to dig in. She hadn’t realized how hungry she’d gotten subsisting on complimentary inn food these past few days.

“How’s your filet?” he asked as she took a heavenly bite that literally melted in her mouth. “Cooked all right?”

He was incredibly handsome in the soft light, flames from the outdoor fire caressing the solid lines of his face.

“Perfect. Everything’s just perfect. I couldn’t have had a better night.”

“I’m glad,” he said with a grin. “That just leaves tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve got a bit of time to kill while the shipment comes in. Got any plans?”

“I thought I’d take in an art museum or two.”

“That sounds great. I’ve been considering taking the day off myself.”

Gwen set down her fork. “Are you…asking me on a date?”

“You mean unlike this one,” he deadpanned.

She gasped with surprise. “This was a date?”

“It could be if you wanted it to.”

Gwen’s heart went fluttering in all sorts of wild directions. Why on earth was he doing this? Surely there was no sense in it. She’d be gone by the week’s end. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“Which one?”

“This a date… Tomorrow. I…I don’t know.” And she didn’t, she really didn’t. She was feeling all jumbled up inside, like she’d desperately wanted something and now didn’t know what to do once she’d gotten it.

“How about if we just call it an appointment, then? An arrangement between associates to go and see some art. Besides,” he added temptingly, “I know who serves the best
chile
rellenos
in town.”

It was patently unfair of him to play the food card. Gwen absolutely adored
chile
rellenos
, almost as much as she was starting to adore this man. “It’s a deal,” she said, smiling broadly.

Dan walked Gwen back to the inn, night sounds singing around them. He’d really jumped in headlong with this one, but Dan couldn’t completely blame himself. With her lovely looks and warm and charming personality, Gwen had led him right to it. He’d been having such a good time with her at dinner, he couldn’t bear having the evening end. The only remedy for that was to suggest seeing her tomorrow. He didn’t have much going on at the gallery, and what was left to do Megan could take care of.

Dan stole a glimpse of Gwen strolling beside him in the moonlight and wished for a moment that things weren’t transitory. But they were, and he’d need to remain aware of that. Just because they’d planned to spend the day together didn’t mean they’d have to become any more involved than they already were. He liked Gwen,
dammit
. She was sensitive and sweet, and he felt good when he was around her. Dan hadn’t felt this good about himself in a very long while. He decided it was time.

They got to the exterior patio door of Gwen’s private suite, and she opened her purse to withdraw the key, her cheeks still aflame.

“I had a really great time tonight,” she said, beaming up at him and feeling very much as if it had been a date.

“Me too,” he said, stepping a fraction of an inch closer. Sea-blue eyes washed over her, threatening to pull her under. And boy, did she want to get swept away. “I’m glad you agreed to see me tomorrow, even if it’s just an arrangement.”

Gwen sensed Dan could rearrange her heart every which way, if she wasn’t careful. “I’m glad I’m seeing you too,” she said, feeling the warmth in her cheeks.

“Ten o’clock work for you?” he asked, his tone growing gravelly.

“Uh-huh,” she uttered, mesmerized by his gaze.

He moved nearer now, his mouth just inches away. “I’ll be damned if I don’t want to kiss you,” he said, his voice a husky rasp.

And she’d be damned if she didn’t want him to. “Dan…” she said, tilting up her chin and closing her eyes.

“But I won’t,” he said, snapping her back to attention, eyes open. “Not now. Not here. Not like this…”

She started to speak as he brought his fingers to her lips. “If ever I’ve seen a woman who deserves to be kissed well, it’s you. But the timing has got to be right. You have to be sure.” He cast a cursory glance at her wedding band and backed away. “I need to be sure. Something tells me we’ve both gone down a path neither of us wants to travel again.”

Gwen’s heart sank as her face burned hot. He was right, and she knew it. Neither of them could risk foolishly giving themselves away. It was only a kiss, but a kiss was often the beginning. She was old enough to know that, and Dan clearly was too.

Gwen couldn’t guess who’d broken Dan’s heart, but he’d obviously been hurt just as much as she had.

“Good night, Gwen,” he said, shadows haunting his face.

She watched him turn and walk away, loneliness settling inside her like a large, heavy weight Gwen feared she’d never shake.

She let herself into her empty room and cried softly in the darkness, moonlight weeping in through slanted blinds. If only she’d found a man like Dan ten years ago, maybe neither of them would have had to live through these vestiges of pain. But the past was long ago and should be forgotten, Gwen thought, twisting the ring on her finger.

Perhaps meeting Dan now was a good thing, the right thing for them both. Maybe they were meant to be stepping stones, each of them strategically placed to help the other on to a better life. They could be friends, confidants even, during her short stay in Santa Fe. Maybe they’d each give the other someone to lean on, somebody who really understood, for the first time in a long time. That didn’t mean they’d have to start falling in love.

Gwen sucked in a breath, praying it wasn’t already too late. By the way her heart hammered against her chest, she wasn’t sure.

****