Santa Fe Fortune & How to Marry a Matador

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