But her infatuation with Guthrie…that was something else entirely. Which reminded her.

“On a different subject, I’ve talked to Ian about this and…” She paused. She had already made the effort to show she wanted to court Guthrie, but she wasn’t sure he was game for what she had to ask him next. And she really hoped he was. “Next week, I’ll be attending a masquerade ball.”

Guthrie’s brows rose. “So…is this a masquerade party you’re in charge of?”

“Nay, not this time. I’m attending, as in strictly for fun. No work, no planning. Just arriving and partying.”

His mouth quirked up a bit at that.

“But I have a problem.”

“Aye? Your bodyguard detail—”

“Nay. Not about them. I…need a date.” She absolutely hated to mention the next part because she was certain Guthrie wouldn’t like to hear it. But she couldn’t help it. “I was supposed to be attending with my mate.”

He frowned at that. “You were invited as a couple?”

“Nay, I was invited, and I could bring a guest.”

“That means you now need an escort.”

“Aye. That’s what I was trying to say. I couldn’t attend without one.” She brushed off the sleeve of her sweater in an imperious way. “It just isn’t done.”

He leaned over and whispered, “Humans?”

“A mix.”

“Like at the toga party,” Guthrie said, folding his arms.

“It shouldn’t be a problem for you if you don’t offer—”

“I didn’t offer.”

“If a toga-wearing woman doesn’t ask you to move her…things, then it shouldn’t be a problem,” Calla continued in a teasing way. “And there’s going to be dancing. So I need a partner who loves to dance.” She raised a brow. She wasn’t going to make it easy on Guthrie. Courting her had conditions.

“So, can you dance? Logan said he’d take me,” she added, as if that would sway Guthrie. Not that she wanted to take the teen instead. She fully intended to dance the night away. Though she hoped Guthrie would want to be her dance partner all night long.

Julia laughed and shook her head. Calla had forgotten that she and Heather were sitting there soaking up their conversation.

“Logan? He’s not going anywhere with you. You attract danger. He wouldn’t be prepared for it. As to your question, aye, I dance. What about the costume?”

She felt as though they were negotiating a party that she was planning for a client. “Anything, except that you can’t wear your kilt or everyone will know you’re a MacNeill. It’s a masquerade ball so no one is supposed to know who you are.”

“You had this all planned, didn’t you?” Guthrie asked, looking highly amused.

“What do you mean?”

“You dump the fiancé and find someone else to take you to the party.”

She laughed. “Aye, it worked, didn’t it? I can find someone who will dress incognito and dance all night with me. Right?”

He smiled.

“And who will appreciate the venture,” she added, emphasizing this wasn’t a mission and he was to just enjoy himself.

She loved the way the skin crinkled beneath his eyes when they lit with merriment. Or…maybe wolfish intrigue. Like his idea of fun was something a little hotter than just dancing at a ball. But if he passed this test? She’d know she was on the right track with Guthrie.

***

Even though Guthrie sensed Calla was nervous about spotting two of Baird’s kin nearby, he admired the way she was attempting to get beyond Baird’s harassment by bantering with Guthrie about the ball. The ball she was supposed to go to with her mate, which Guthrie thought was significant.

So what if Baird’s cousin and brother had seen her in town with the MacNeills and being cozy with Guthrie?

“We’re courting, remember?” he said, and her look of worry lifted. If they were going to court one another, everyone was going to know about it. Guthrie wouldn’t hide the fact when they were out in public. If it pissed Baird off, so be it.

Guthrie had suspected all along that with the way Baird continued to hassle Calla, he wasn’t going to let go of her ever. That meant dealing with this situation with extreme prejudice. The problem was that Calla had loved Baird once. If it came to having to eliminate him because he became a danger to Calla, could she forgive Guthrie?

The ladies were getting ready to leave and Guthrie slid his arm around Calla’s waist, intending to show the world they were doing this. “You don’t need to ask anyone else to go with you to the masquerade ball, lass. You have your dance partner already.”

Chapter 12

Later that afternoon, Calla got together with Julia to discuss Christmas party plans, but she also had another thought she wanted to run by Julia. Calla’s parents had been lone wolves, having their own pack of sorts, but not coexisting among a large pack like the MacNeills’. She found it fascinating to learn how the MacNeill pack homeschooled its children.

“So you teach writing and English, Guthrie does math, and Shelley is the botanist in the group. What about Aunt Agnes?” Calla asked as she sat down to have tea with Julia.

“She’s the family historian so she handles history classes. Lady Mae teaches about proper etiquette for boys and girls. Heather is responsible for literature classes, while I share my writing techniques. As for the men—Cearnach handles pet care. Duncan is the weapons instructor and trains in everything from archery to swordsmanship. Ethan and his brothers teach about bovine care, and Guthrie covers math topics, including showing the little ones how to identify bills and coins, and the older ones money management. You missed the class he offered this morning, but he has a class with the older ones again on Friday morning, if you want to drop by and listen in.”

“Actually, I made it to his morning class on earning and saving money, and it got me thinking. I was wondering if the kids could be involved in some kind of a craft bazaar so they could earn money for Christmas. Rather than their parents giving them money to buy gifts, they could earn their own. Then when they went shopping, the value of the money would mean so much more to them.”

“I love it! A whole bunch of us are great with crafts. I’m certain we can even get a lot of the adults to help supervise and spread the word about the bazaar to all the kids in the pack. Maybe even have a food booth like they do at Renaissance fairs in the States.”