“Did he threaten you?”
“He said that I wouldn’t have the MacNeills to watch over me always. Just an idle threat. I mean, what can he do about anything? He can’t force me to marry him.”
No longer in the mood for shopping, Calla hated that Baird did have the power to upset her like that. She really didn’t think he would do anything more than keep trying to make up to her once she left Argent Castle. But still, she’d been having fun, and now her thoughts were centered on him. And she hated it.
Julia patted her arm. “What do you think about this color for Ian?”
She loved how Julia knew she was distressed and tried to get her mind off Baird. “The blue sweater would be perfect for him.”
Despite the distraction, Calla kept trying unsuccessfully to think of a way to resolve this issue with Baird. As she and the other ladies headed outside, Guthrie’s eyes were focused on her. He looked so concerned for her and she so appreciated him.
No matter how much she told herself that she had to wait to court someone again, damn it all, she didn’t want to wait! So what if Guthrie and she weren’t meant for each other? Life meant taking chances. And if he was still hung up a little on an old girlfriend? She could take his mind right off her and she would, she thought.
She walked over to him. He was looking sternly at her, like he expected her to tell him what Baird had said. She took Guthrie’s arm and wrapped it around her waist, looking up at him and raising her brows. Did he want to do this, or not?
He was frowning, but he tightened his hold on her, so she assumed he did want the closeness. “Life’s too short,” she said and smiled up at Guthrie.
She was going to enjoy her outing with the ladies and one hunk of a Highland wolf bodyguard. She looked to see where the other ladies were headed for their shopping.
They weren’t. They were all smiling at her and Guthrie.
“What?” she asked as innocently as she could. “Are you finished shopping?”
There was a collective shake of heads and the ladies continued smiling as they turned and considered the next shop they planned to go to.
Guthrie leaned down a little and said with a rough and interested voice for Calla’s ears only, “Does this mean what I think it does?”
She smiled wickedly up at him. “That…we’re courting? Aye.”
He gave her the most devilish look back, and she thought it meant that he was seriously considering returning to the garden room tonight. But they needed to start slow, she thought, to ensure they were really ready for this dating business. Nice and slow and easy.
She strolled along with him, trying to window-shop and enjoy all the Christmas decorations. While before she had wanted to listen to the ladies’ conversation, all she was truly aware of now was Guthrie’s arm wrapped around her, his warm body heating hers in the cold winter breeze, and how much she loved being close to him like this.
She noticed that Guthrie was still watching people, looking for any sign of trouble and playing his bodyguard role even though the other men were also, yet he seemed relaxed with her, his hand firmly on her waist just beneath her jacket. As much as a wolf as he was, she shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Was your hand cold?” she asked him.
He grinned down at her. “Yeah, but you’re heating it right up.”
She smiled. The ladies motioned to the Wee Highland Tearoom for lunch. Guthrie began to pull away as if he was going to let the ladies have their luncheon together without joining them, but Calla wasn’t having any of it. If they were going to court, this was their first unofficial date. She took his hand and led him inside the dining facility, with its antique furniture and porcelain teacups and teapots of every kind either on display or in use. The baked goods and sweet treats scented the air with strawberries, toffee, and lemon, making Calla’s mouth water and her stomach grumble.
And, of course, Guthrie had to hear. He chuckled.
The ladies split up to sit at two tables since many of the tables seated only four. Julia and Heather sat with Guthrie and Calla. Clotted cream tea was soon offered with sandwiches, oven-warmed scones with jam and cream, toffee pudding, strawberry jam tarts, and lemon curd tarts. Julia loved Scottish fare, but she was always looking for something chocolate to go with her meal.
Calla was happy with toffee pudding and caught Guthrie smirking at her as she licked her spoon. That made her blush anew.
Guthrie had just finished eating his scone when he got a call. “All right. Thanks.” He said to the ladies, “Ethan spotted one of Baird’s brothers and a cousin in town. It doesn’t mean anything sinister. They could be here like anybody else.”
“Did they have bags like they’d been shopping?” Calla asked, feeling suspicious.
“Nay, just…strolling along the street like tons of other Christmas shoppers.”
“Your men aren’t following them, are they?”
“Nay. Their mission is to stick close to us. They know not to split forces.”
“Good.” Yet Calla’s skin prickled with apprehension. “What if they’ve been following us for some time, and they purposely let Ethan and the others know they were?”
“It doesn’t make any difference,” Guthrie said.
But it did. What if they saw Guthrie’s arm around her waist? And they reported it back to Baird? Which they would. What if he became really incensed that first Guthrie’s brother was trying to talk her out of marrying Baird, and now Guthrie was making the moves on her—and she was all for it? Well, worse, she actually had encouraged it!
“Lass,” Guthrie said, watching her expression, “what did Baird say to you?”
“That your family wouldn’t always be there to watch over me.”
Guthrie’s face reddened a bit in anger, his eyes narrowing. “Fine. He wants a fight, he’s got it.”
She didn’t think Guthrie meant he was going to just have a sword fight like he did with Rankin and his cousins, but a wolf-to-wolf battle. If Baird didn’t give up his pursuit, it wasn’t going to be combat practice.
“I don’t want it to come to that,” Calla said.
“I understand, Calla. We don’t take situations like this lightly. But it can’t go on like this.”
She nodded. Then let out her breath on a sigh. She couldn’t always be looking over one shoulder, worried that Baird would become bolder if the MacNeill wolves weren’t there to watch her back. She resolved to learn if Baird wanted something more from her, as Guthrie suspected. Much as it hurt to admit, she couldn’t believe that Baird had just been that infatuated with her. Not any longer.