Santa Fe Fortune & How to Marry a Matador

understanding that things had deepened between them. Dan had opened up to her in unexpected ways and she was honored he’d felt he could trust her.
    “Thanks for telling me about Jocelyn. Seeing as how our time together is so short, you really didn’t have to.”
    “Precisely why going for quality over quantity is my aim. Since we’ve agreed to take this next little bit to get to know each other, I thought maybe we should begin by dispensing of secrets.” He glanced at her wedding band, and Gwen felt her face burn hot.
    After Dan’s sincere confession, she felt like a big plucky chicken refusing to give him fair play in return. But Dan had worried over events that were really out of his hands. What did it say about Gwen that she hadn’t even found the guts to deal with something on her own finger? Would he think her emotionally inept in accepting a marriage that failed, or worse yet, extra loopy for feeling she had to find just the right spot to shuck its golden albatross?
    “I want to tell you, I do,” she said hoarsely. “And I will, very soon.”

    It was a long, slow descent toward Santa Fe, the mountains opening up into the deep, craggy canyons of the Rio Grande River. Dan had taken this way home on purpose. He knew the perfect spot where he hoped to take Gwen and finally kiss her. Kissing that woman was long overdue, and Dan intended to make good on his earlier promise. He’d been incredibly impressed with how poised Gwen had remained in taking the news about Jocelyn. She’d listened intently and had absorbed his difficult story, offering insight and compassion. Elena and her hysteria be damned. There was clearly a woman who could love him better. Dan’s throat swelled at the thought of the “L” word. The truth was he thought he’d sealed his heart off so it would never head in that direction again. But the more time he spent with Gwen, the more that restless stallion beat against the gate. And man, when Gwen smiled at him, didn’t it itch to bolt into open pasture and run free.
    Gwen surprised Dan with a shout, causing him to slam on the brakes. “Wait! Stop here!” she cried. “Pull over, please!”
    Dan veered onto a wide shoulder on the road and downshifted, putting the car in park.
    “Gwen, all you all right?” he asked.
    “Can we park here a moment?” she asked with a hopeful blush.
    Park? She wanted to park? This wasn’t precisely the place he had in mind, but it clearly was no less beautiful. Dan surveyed their surroundings, noting theirs was the only vehicle within sight. “I’m sure that’s fine.”

    Gwen stepped from the SUV onto a craggy ledge overlooking the Rio Grande. It was a spectacular sight, swelling as it flowed downhill from the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Up river, kayakers conquered white rapids, their paddles gleaming in the sunlight. “This is perfect. Absolutely perfect,” she told him, her face beaming. She twisted the ring on her finger, more sure than ever. Now was the time, this was the place—in this beautiful New Mexico wilderness with this wonderful man. She looked up into Dan’s questioning eyes colored like the azure sky above them.
    “You know why I haven’t taken this off?” she asked, holding up her hand. “Because I was scared, afraid of what I’d be without it. You see, all my life I’ve defined myself by someone else. I was Elizabeth’s daughter, Marian’s sister, Robert’s wife… And Robert wasn’t much of a husband.”
    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