“You know this is my livelihood. If things don’t go well, who do you think will get the blame? Not you and your kin, but me, because I brought you with me,” she said like a pissed-off she-wolf, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He smiled. “We’ll be fine,” he said again, sure of it. What could go wrong? The Rankins and their friends would be busy celebrating, and no one would even notice the Highland wolves serving guard duty on the grounds. “We’re only there to protect you if Baird or his men try anything. We have no quarrel with the Rankins.”

Which wasn’t quite true. The eldest son, Kevin Rankin, had harassed one of their cousins, Heather, at a Celtic festival, and Guthrie and Kevin would have come to blows if Ian hadn’t stepped in to stop the fight. Guthrie reminded himself that Kevin was on a cruise and not attending this affair, so Calla should be fine.

He glanced at her sweaterdress, visible with her coat slung over the seat.

He smiled at some of his early memories of her—some of her funny antics as a young lass, like getting a dunking when she caught a trout that was nearly half her size, or playing at sword fighting with one of their wooden practice swords and getting Cearnach in the crotch. That had Cearnach gasping for breath, his brothers laughing, and Calla looking like she would die of mortification. “You have nothing to be worried about,” Guthrie said again.

“I still think you should have worn normal clothes. You know, since you’re trying not to attract attention.”

“We could have worn trousers, aye. But this is a clan affair, and our kin always show up at clan gatherings wearing our clan sett with pride. If Ian had pulled the duty himself, he would have done the same thing.”

She snorted, and he smiled. “Don’t worry. Ethan, Jasper, and I will behave ourselves with the utmost decorum.”

Chapter 5

At least, Guthrie hoped everything would be all right at the Rankin reunion as he drove up to the front door of the five-story, Georgian-style, white-stone manor house. Like some country manor houses built in the late medieval period for gentry families, this one was more for show than defense.

Vehicles were unloading partygoers at the manor house, and then valets were driving them to a gravel car park off to the side of the house.

Trees surrounded the home in a countrified setting, the ones nearest the house sparkling with blue lights. Had that been Calla’s idea? At least she hadn’t suggested they add Christmas lights to Argent Castle, the plantings, or outer buildings…yet. He could just imagine the extra cost in electricity.

A redheaded man wearing a Prince Charlie jacket and a green-and-blue plaid kilt hurried down the steps, opened the door to the car, and took Calla’s hand and kissed it as he helped her out.

Bloody hell. What was Kevin Rankin doing here?

Instantly, Guthrie’s wolf half went on offense. He quickly left the car, and Jasper got out and took over the driver’s seat, dismissing the man who was going to park the car.

Calla was supposed to be working here, not garnering kisses from the son of the man who owned the manor house. Kevin was a rich playboy who thought he was a real ladies’ man. From what Calla had told Cearnach, Kevin Rankin treated all women as though they had the hots for him, Calla included. She’d planned this event months ago, so Guthrie hadn’t known the man had bothered her initially. If Guthrie had known that, he would have had words with Kevin.

Ethan got out of the vehicle and joined Guthrie, while Jasper drove off to park the car. The business of protecting Calla from Baird and his clansmen swiftly shifted to protecting her from Kevin Rankin. Now Guthrie had no intention of standing outside when she might very well need his help inside the house.

Three hulking Rankin bruisers, cousins of Kevin, stared hard at Guthrie and his stepfather, arms folded. They stood on the stairs leading to the entrance of the manor, all wearing the same clan attire. But not wearing swords like Guthrie and his kin. Just the typical sgian dubh tucked into their socks.

“We are here to—” Before Guthrie could say “protect the lady,” Calla cut him off with a glower.

“They planned to stay out here. They’re my ride. The manor house is too far out in the country for them to go anywhere and return to pick me up on time.” She patted Guthrie on the chest as if to appease him, but it made him feel like he was her dog. Like she was patting him on the head before she left him so he could happily wander around in the yard.

“I could take you home after this, if you even wanted to go home afterward,” Kevin said to Calla, casting an evil smirk at Guthrie.

Guthrie responded with a low growl.

With his human hearing, Kevin didn’t catch it, but Ethan and Calla did. Ethan smiled at Guthrie, but Calla shot Guthrie another warning look before she quickly took Kevin’s arm.

“Thanks, but I promised to visit with Guthrie’s sister-in-law after this affair, concerning Christmas party arrangements I’m working on for their family. Busy season, you know. So Guthrie and his family will drive me home.”

Before Guthrie could object to her going inside without him, she hurried into the manor to do her work. Not that the three men standing in his path would have let him or Ethan get by them. Guthrie scowled at her disappearing backside.

One of the Rankin “bouncers” said, “We don’t know why you think she needs looking after, but we’ll make sure she has a good time.”

Guthrie didn’t like the way the man said it.

Ethan touched Guthrie’s arm as if to say that the man wasn’t worth fighting. Jasper joined them, and with another scowl in the Rankin men’s direction, Guthrie conceded and led his guard detail into the trees surrounding the property. From there, they’d have a perfect view of the driveway and front entryway to watch for any signs of Baird McKinley.