I know this is an old post, but I wanted to correct a few misconceptions.
While everyone was correct that you should not keep goldfish and bettas together, they were correct for the wrong reasons.
JCollins57 mentioned that bettas cannot be kept with any other fish. This is simply not true. Bettas generally ignore anything that they don't perceive as another betta and therefore a threat. A betta will attack another betta (mostly, males tend to be more territorial and females can sometimes be kept in sorority tanks as long as one isn't super-aggressive); however, bettas can be kept perfectly fine with other peaceful community fish who have similar care needs. Bettas need warm water, low filter current, and are best kept with fish who won't fin-nip or chase them since bettas tend to swim slowly and stop often.
The first two are the reasons bettas and goldfish do not work well together. First, goldfish are a coldwater fish. That means around 70 degrees F is their maximum temperature. They can tolerate warmer water, sure, in the same way we can tolerate a Louisiana summer. Bettas are tropical fish. That means they want water that's at minimum 72 degrees, with a "sweet spot" of about 78-82. So, freeze the betta or sweat the goldfish if you choose to keep them together.
Secondly, bettas like low current to help them swim (long fins) and breathe (from the surface). If the surface is being agitated, it's hard for them to go up and breathe, kind of like you trying to sip from a glass in a moving car. Their long flowing fins also tend to act like sails in high current which makes it tough for them to swim. So a low filter setting is best. Why does this conflict with goldfish? Two reasons: goldfish produce a lot of ammonia and waste (which means they need a strong filter) and goldfish need air pumps (which create still more current in the form of bubbles). So again, what's good for a goldfish is bad for a betta.
As for mrssittingduck's advice to put the male betta in with the female until you can find a home for the goldfish (which I assume is resolved by now) is she nuts!? Male and female bettas should NEVER be kept together except for short SUPERVISED periods if you want to breed them. The male will KILL the female, if not sooner then later. It's not a question of if, just a matter of when. Male and female bettas do not live together in the wild, they come together only for breeding. Male bettas are extremely territorial and, while calmer females can live in sorority tanks, a male betta can NEVER be kept with another betta or any fish that looks similar period. He will, eventually, start a fight and someone will end up dead.
As I mentioned above, bettas can be kept perfectly fine with peaceful fish that don't resemble bettas. Stay away from fish that are red (a common betta color) or very brightly colored, fish with long flowing fins, and aggressive fish such as gouramis and barbs. African dwarf frogs, cleaner shrimp, cory catfish, and snails all make lovely betta tankmates. Most bettas will generally ignore any tankmates unless they're bored, then you might see a little bit of interaction but nothing should end violently. Of course, if you see a lot of nipping or fighting that persists, then they should be separated. Your betta may be too aggressive for company.
Whew! I hope this helps anyone who stumbles upon this in Google archives or a search, as I did.
Whew. End rant
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