Free Santa Fe Fortune by Ginny Baird Page B

eyes.
    “Oh no you don’t, Elena. You’re not pulling that on me this time. I’ve had more than enough of your—”
    “It’s important,” she said, stopping him mid-rant.
    “Important, Elena? What is it this time? Another dead relative?”
    He’d learned later through a mutual acquaintance that Elena’s story had been a half-truth. Her cousin hadn’t died at all. She’d merely been recovering from appendicitis.
    “That was low, Dan. Even for you.”
    “No, what’s low, Elena, is you showing up here. You’re the one who walked out on me, as I recall. And in your own words, with plenty of good reason.”
    “You really haven’t changed a bit,” she said, setting her jaw.
    “Probably not,” Dan agreed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a dinner date to return to.”
    “I thought she was a business colleague?”
    “Nothing in my life concerns you anymore,” he said, turning away. “Or vice versa.”
    “Don't be so sure,” she said, her voice cracking.
    Dan turned slowly to face her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
     
    By the time Dan returned to their table, the pizza had been sitting there for ten minutes.
    “I’m sorry, Gwen. Sorry you had to see that.”
    “I didn’t know you’d been married before. Of course, why would I?” she said, her world still reeling around her.
    “Not married. Never was. But Elena and I were engaged.” He had an odd look about him, as if he were feeling quite unwell.
    “Is everything all right?” Gwen asked with concern.
    Dan furrowed his brow in concentration, then downed a sip of wine as if he hadn’t heard her.
    Gwen met his eyes, feeling the heat in her own. “Maybe we should go.”
    “No. No way. Absolutely not,” he said, regaining composure. “I apologize that the evening got thrown off course this way.” He glanced down at the pizza. “Bet that’s stone cold by now. I’ll send it back. Get us another.”
    “You really don’t have to.”
    He met her eyes with a sincere gaze. “But I want to. Gwen, you don’t understand how much I looked forward to this evening. I wanted us to spend time together. Still want that, even now.”
    Gwen wondered what the “even now” part meant but felt she shouldn’t ask.
    “I want to spend time with you too,” she said, feeling the raw burn in her chest.
    Dan’s expression brightened. “Then good! Let’s regroup here. Send this disgustingly healthy pizza back and order something wicked.”
    “You mean with fatty meats and anchovies?” Gwen bantered, trying to play things lightly.
    “Anything your heart desires.”
    What Gwen’s heart desired was that no blast from Dan’s past had ever resurfaced to disturb their evening. The notion that anybody else might try to lay claim to this increasingly marvelous man secretly upset her. Given Dan’s looks and impeccable taste, Gwen certainly imagined he’d been involved before. She just didn’t like coming face-to-face with the evidence, particularly when it shouted upscale elegance like that. Elena was a beautiful woman, sharply sophisticated too. Gwen wasn’t so sure her small-town-girl appeal could hold up under such big-city competition.
    “Gwen?” Dan asked. “You do still want anchovies?”
    Gwen blinked, noting their server had appeared and was waiting on her answer.
    “Oh yes. Yes, please,” she answered, braving a smile. “That would be fine.”
     
    All through dinner, Dan heard the echo of Elena’s parting pronouncement banging about in his brain. It couldn’t possibly be true. This had to be another one of Elena’s convoluted ploys. But to what end? Dan steadied his intellect to focus on the problem, knowing he’d work it out eventually. There was no way in Hades he was going back to her, he thought, settling his gaze on the soft Southern beauty before him. Gwen was so warm and trusting, and things between them were just getting off the ground. He’d aimed to ask Gwen to go away with him to Taos tomorrow and was more