Santa Fe Fortune (7 page)

Chapter Four

Gwen and Dan strolled toward the main plaza, stopping first at the New Mexico Museum of Art, a fortress-like structure made of adobe, of course. Gwen tried to stop Dan when he started to pay her entrance fee, but he was too quick on the draw. “It’s the least I can do,” he said with a smile. “We locals get in at a discount.” He shot her a wink, causing the tiniest fluttering in her tummy.

“You’re being really good to me,” she said. “Do all of Holbrook and Holstein’s artists get this VIP treatment?”

He leveled her a look as if he were considering it.

“Nope,” he said, leading her into a courtyard opening up to a brilliant blue sky.

They passed in through another door and into the first-floor gallery. “This is spectacular!” she said, taking in wall after wall of New Mexican and Native American art.

“There are a couple of pieces in particular I think you’d like to see,” he said, leading her around the corner.

Gwen came face-to-face with her first authentic Georgia O’Keeffe,
Blue River
, and it took her breath away. “It’s stunning,” she told Dan, absorbing this wildly vibrant rendering of the Chama River snaking through the New Mexico hills.

Dan’s eyes twinkled with delight. “There’s more,” he said, steering her into the next room, where more famous pieces awaited, including a glorious portrayal of the Cerro
Pedernal
, the unique flat-topped mesa favored by O’Keeffe in her desert landscape series. “She painted this one during her time at Ghost Ranch, northwest of the city here. She called it ‘my mountain,’ stating God had granted her authority to claim it were she to paint it often enough.”

Gwen laughed from the tale and the sheer joy of the moment. She felt so in her element here, among these great works with this great man. “It’s almost intimidating to see her art,” she admitted honestly. “It was so ahead of its time, revolutionary. It’s inspiring yet overwhelming at once.”

“I believe each artist has her own special gifts to offer,” Dan said, meeting her eyes as her heart skipped a beat. Dan brought his palm to her cheek and cupped it gently. She felt faint from his touch. “You’re very talented, Gwen. I’ve seen your work, and I trust it will sell.”

“I hope you’re right,” she said breathlessly.

“Have faith,” he said, his gaze diving into her. “I do. I have faith in your work, in you.”

Dan withdrew his hand, and Gwen’s pulse galloped into overdrive. She tried to move forward but felt light-headed. “I think I need to eat something,” she said.

“I’ve got just the ticket for that,” he said with a grin.

They settled on a shady park bench in the main plaza, Dan having purchased a couple of bottles of water and two huge plates from a vendor cart. The
chile
rellenos
were enormous, stuffed with melted cheese and deep fried in a light batter. “This is like biting into a slice of heaven,” Gwen said, savoring the healthy heat provided by the peppers.

“Try it with a bit of fresh-made salsa,” Dan said, passing over a small plastic cup. “I’ll warn you, it’s got a kick.”

Gwen thrilled at the thought her food could get any spicier than it already was. She was a daredevil when it came to tastes. She eagerly accepted the salsa and dumped it on her chilies.

“Whoa! Not so much,” he tried to warn, but it was too late. The golden fried peppers were already swimming in a sea of red. Dan handed over some water. “You’d better take this.”

“I’ll be all right,” she insisted, picking up her plastic fork and taking a sizable bite. Fire scorched her tongue as flames leapt up her nasal passages and spiked down her throat. “
Argh
!” she cried, grasping desperately for the water as tears sprang from her eyes. She uncapped the bottle and chugged half of it down while Dan released a belly laugh. “What’s so funny?” she asked, dabbing at her streaming face with paper napkins.

“Like things hot, do you?” he said, repressing a grin.

She elbowed him in a playful way. “Be nice.”

“I am nice,” he said sincerely. “Very nice, in fact. Some even say I’m the most eligible bachelor in the Southwest.”

“I’ll bet that’s true,” she said, taking another swallow of water. “And I know why you’re still a bachelor too.”

He raised his brow at her, questioning.

“You’ve killed off all your interested admirers with inordinate amounts of hot sauce!”

Dan boomed another laugh, then met her gaze. “So, you’re an interested admirer, now? I thought we agreed to be just friends?” And they had too. Dan had brought it up as soon as he’d seen her. They hadn’t even cleared the inn’s parking lot before he’d told her what a mistake he’d made last night and apologized for intimating anything beyond friendship was possible. Gwen had absorbed his apology with a mixture of understanding and regret. Naturally, she told him, she felt exactly the same.

 
“I only hope you find a woman someday who’s strong enough to take it,” she teased.

“That would be a catch worth hanging on to,” he agreed, enjoying his own lunch. “I grow my own jalapeños, you know.”

“Do you?” she asked with surprise. “Where?”

“Why, out on Paradise Ranch.”

“Paradise?” she queried. “That sounds lovely.”

“It’s nice enough,” he said. “Nice and peaceful.”

“Where is it exactly?”

“Not far outside of town, up a ways on Highway Eighty-four.”

“Do you spend most of your time there?”

“As much as I can manage.”

“Is it a family place?” she asked innocently.

Dan’s eyes clouded over like the ocean before a storm. “I’m not much on family these days. It’s just me and Nancy, really, and she keeps a place in the city.”

“I’m sorry, Dan. I didn’t know. Your parents… Have they been gone long?”

“Cancer took my mom several years ago. My dad set out on his own way before. Never really heard much from or about him after that.” The fine creases around his mouth hardened, resisting the bitter memory. Gwen’s heart ached for him.

“I know what that’s like,” she said softly. “My dad ran out on us too.”

He turned toward her, emotion shadowing his face. “I’m sorry to hear that. That’s a hard thing to have happened to you, you and Marian both. How’s your mom holding up?”

Gwen hung her head, the admission cutting to her core. “She’s not doing well. She doesn’t even know who we are half the time. Marian and I had to put her in a home because she’d started wandering.”

Dan looked distant a moment, his thoughts roaming. “That’s really rough,” he said after a while. “That must take a lot of strength to deal with.”

She met his calm and comforting gaze. How could he be so impossibly easy to talk to when the topic was so unbelievably hard? “I’m getting stronger every day,” she said, hoping that saying so would make it true.

Dan shot her a melancholy smile. “I once knew someone who used that expression a lot.”

“Yeah?”

“My baby sister, Jocelyn” he said, looking away.

“You didn’t... lose her too?” Gwen asked with concern.

Dan turned back to her, his expression worn. The air hung heavy between them while he seemed to weigh a decision.

“I didn’t mean to pry.”

“I brought it up, not you,” he said with a gentle smile. “And yes, we lost her. Funny thing is, I still miss her every day.”

A swell of sorrow overtook her as she studied this kind, compassionate man. “I’m sorry.”

“Didn’t mean to bring the conversation down.”

“It’s not down. We were just talking.” She felt her face flush at the admission. “I like talking to you.”

He stroked his chin and scrutinized her. “Is that a fact?”

It most certainly was. So much of a fact that if he didn't stop looking at her in that heart-pounding way, Gwen didn't trust what might come out of her mouth next.

“Are you up for one more stop?” he asked, blue eyes brightening.

Gwen nodded, still unable to
unstick
her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

“That’s good,” he said, mildly nudging her plate. “Better fuel up on the hot stuff to keep you going.”

She wrinkled her nose, and the moment between them lightened. “You really are trying to kill me, aren’t you?” she said with a laugh.

“Not on your life,” he replied with a wink. “I like my up-and-coming artists alive and well.”

Dan sat beside Gwen on the boxy, rectangular bench, the biographic film on Georgia O’Keeffe’s life nearly over. The video was as much about O’Keeffe and her work that hung here as it was about the man who’d had the greatest influence on her. Photographer Alfred Stieglitz was not only the patron who sponsored her first art show in New York, he’d become her friend and confidant, and eventually her lover, capturing many provocative images of O’Keeffe with his camera. Dan rested his hand on the bench beside him, inadvertently brushing the edge of Gwen’s. His fingers ached to extend and take hold of hers. He drummed the ceramic bench beneath him to keep them from acting out on their own.

As the credits rolled and the house lights came up, Gwen gave him a soft smile. “What a beautiful story,” she said. “I had no idea about O’Keeffe and Stieglitz and how they’d influenced each other. It’s interesting how he began as her benefactor, and then the two of them fell in love.”

“He believed in her,” Dan said, holding her gaze. She colored lightly around her cheekbones, and Dan found himself wanting to reach up and touch her again as he had in the larger museum.

She stood suddenly, like she’d read his mind. “He was a good bit older, it seems,” Gwen said as they cleared the room with the rest of the crowd.

“Perhaps a little,” Dan agreed. “But sometimes age doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe not.” She colored a shade deeper. “They understood each other. That’s what counts.”

Dan held back the door, and they stepped into the sunshine. “Probably helps that they started as friends.”

She stopped on the sidewalk and looked up at him, dark eyes brimming with affection. “I’ve had the best day today,” she said, smiling sweetly.

Dan hoped he was reading her right and that she liked him as much as he did her. So what if she was just here for a few days? When Dan was around her, he felt strong and capable, like there was no mountain too high for him to climb. “I have too,” he said, smiling back. “I hate the thought I have to head back.”

“To the gallery?” she questioned.

Dan’s cell buzzed, and he checked it briefly with a frown.

“There are some things I need to look into before closing,” he said, tucking his phone away. “Can I see you back to the inn?”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll stay in town a little longer, look around at a few of the shops.”

“There’s another museum,” he offered. “That is, unless you’re
arted
out.”

“I think I’m done for the day. I really appreciate you showing me around. The
chile
rellenos
were the best.”

He wanted to ask her to dinner but felt he shouldn’t push it. Dan didn’t want to overwhelm her, despite the fact that he was starting to feel he could never get enough of Gwen.

 
“I’ll be working tomorrow during the day as well. I’ll want to be sure all’s going smoothly with a special shipment coming in. But I’ll be free by dinnertime. How about you?”

She smiled at him brightly. “I haven’t made plans.”

“How does pizza with a spectacular mountain view sound?”

“Totally awesome,” she said with a grin.

“Pick you up about eight fifteen?”

“Sounds super, Dan. Thank you.”

“Will you be okay for dinner tonight?”

“Oh yes, fine. I’m still stuffed from lunch. I’ll probably just fix myself a small cheese plate.”

“Watch out for that Havarti,” he said, repressing a smile. “I’ve heard it’s very aggressive.”

When Gwen laughed, the sound resonated like music to his soul. “That it is,” she agreed. “I’ll be sure to take care.”

Gwen spent the rest of the afternoon meandering through the small shops of Santa Fe. Just for fun, she tried on a Stetson and a pair of turquoise-and-white cowgirl boots at the Wild West Boutique just east of the plaza. Examining her reflection in the mirror, Gwen couldn’t help but grin. Who was this wholesome and happy-looking woman? Could it possibly be her? Gwen found herself wondering what Dan would think of the getup, deciding he’d probably like it. There didn’t appear to be much about her he didn’t like. It was such an unusual juxtaposition relative to how she’d felt with Robert. With Robert, she’d felt under a microscope, as if everything she did was scrutinized, and generally not in a very flattering way.

She returned the hat to the rack, running her fingers through her curls. Dan had even seemed to enjoy her unintended tango with Havarti! Gwen tried to imagine how Robert might have reacted. He likely would have called her stupid or inept for not having checked herself better before leaving the inn. Robert didn’t appreciate being embarrassed, and she apparently did plenty to embarrass him in front of his wealthy, film-set friends. She was either too quiet or too loud, either clamming up like an idiot with nothing too interesting to say or running her mouth off for no good reason about things nobody else in the world would be concerned with. A fund-raiser for the children’s hospital? How utterly gauche of Gwen to bring it up. It was like she expected them to donate just because they could. That was no sort of social conversation starter!