The Sometime Bride

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