“Aye, particularly while we are watching out for her. You’d think he’d wait until she was no longer staying with us.” Although that didn’t set well with Guthrie.

They couldn’t keep her at Argent Castle permanently. Not that they wouldn’t want to—she was good-natured, helpful, and everybody liked her. But she had made it known that she was returning home after the clan’s celebration on Christmas Eve.

He hadn’t really thought about it much until now. Sure, he knew she wanted to celebrate Christmas with her parents, but after she’d helped decorate, and he and she had kissed under the tree, he’d had visions of her sitting there on Christmas morning unwrapping presents with the family. With…him.

The notion that she wouldn’t be there bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

He watched the woods with Ethan and Oran for another couple of hours until the laughter began to die down inside the cottage. The party must have been winding down. Wrapped in her coat and a long woolen scarf, Calla finally exited the cottage. With her red hair hanging loose and caught in the cold breeze, she looked frazzled more than anything else, but Guthrie was damned relieved to see her. Though he was certain she was going to be angry with him.

He hurried to get the car door for her.

A half hour later on the way home, she still hadn’t said anything. No one had, and it was killing him not to get this over with. After another silent quarter of an hour passed, Guthrie finally said, “Well?”

She started chuckling.

He stared at her for a moment, then looked back at the road. He would never understand women. “Why did you not tell the lass you needed me for something else?” Guthrie asked, semi-annoyed.

“I didn’t know what she had in mind,” Calla said.

Guthrie snorted.

“I didn’t,” she insisted. “I don’t know the family. And you didn’t have to go with her.”

“If a lassie asks me to help move a piece of furniture, what am I to say? Nay, I might hurt my back?”

She began to laugh.

“I thought you’d be angry over the whole mess.” Even though it appeared she wasn’t—only highly amused, at his expense. He was glad for that. He’d much rather she be entertained than angry.

“You didn’t stay with her when she bared her breasts,” Calla said.

“How come I missed that?” Ethan grumbled jokingly.

“You think my mother would have wanted you in the middle of that?” Guthrie asked, being serious.

Oran laughed. “Nay, she would have been furious even if Ethan hadn’t been involved in any of it. Me, now, that’s a different story. I’m unattached,” he said, smiling at Calla.

Calla had thought the whole thing was so funny that she hadn’t realized Guthrie was still waiting for her to scold him for this party debacle. When Rosalind had thrown herself at him, Guthrie’s expression had been priceless, especially when he saw Calla coming up the stairs.

The part about Rosalind’s boyfriend even considering going wolf on them was not funny, however. It had taken a hell of a lot of fast talking to convince him to stand down and behave. If the man had shifted in front of the human guests who came to see the commotion, the wolves would have had to turn them all. What a catastrophe that would have been. Thankfully, the man had just snarled at his girlfriend and then returned to the party.

Calla assumed that was the end of that relationship. Speaking of which, Calla had overheard Rosalind telling Guthrie that she didn’t know anyone at the party. She hadn’t known then that Rosalind had a boyfriend, but she had wondered what Rosalind was up to. Calla hadn’t wanted to make the decision for Guthrie, but she was pleasantly surprised with the one he made. What was most endearing about Guthrie was how much he worried that Calla thought he had wanted a romp with the woman. Rosalind had known very well what she wanted, and that was Guthrie, the only man at the party not wearing a toga.

Calla chuckled again, and he glanced her way, his brow furrowed. She grinned at him, and he shook his head.

Chapter 9

When they arrived home, Ethan gave Guthrie a slight nod, as if saying he would tell Ian what had happened with regard to Baird so that Guthrie could speak with the lass alone. Guthrie was certain that Ethan would also tell Ian about the half-naked woman. He and Oran were grinning so broadly that Guthrie was convinced they’d both ask Ian to ensure that Guthrie was always in charge of the guard detail for Calla. And that Ian always picked them to go with Guthrie when he had to watch over her.

“Calla, can I speak with you for a minute?” Guthrie asked, opening the door to the keep for her.

“About?”

“Let’s go someplace more…private. The study? Or the garden room?”

Her body tense, she looked a little wary. “The garden room will be fine.”

They walked through the keep to the kitchen, but before they reached the door, they discovered Cearnach and Duncan eating pork sandwiches at the table and drinking mulled wine. Both stopped talking to acknowledge Guthrie and Calla with smiles.

“How’d the party go?” Duncan asked, smirking.

Duncan couldn’t have heard what had happened at this party yet, so Guthrie assumed he was still amused about the reunion fiasco—as if anytime that Guthrie went to one of her scheduled events, he’d cause trouble. Even if that had been the case so far.

Her brows raised, Calla said, “I’m sure Guthrie is dying to tell you about it. You’ll most likely find it as entertaining as the other.” She moved outside into the cold.