Guthrie and Calla hadn’t returned to their rooms before he went to bed. He hadn’t heard any indication they were moving about. Then all of a sudden, his sweet mate had to return to the kitchen for her cup of hot chocolate again.

“Did you see Guthrie and Calla?” Ian asked, hoping they weren’t breaking more glasses of milk down there.

“Aye.”

He kissed the top of her head. “And?”

When she was this quiet, she was up to no good.

“They went to bed.”

“You’re not trying to matchmake, are you?”

“Me? Never.”

He chuckled. She was.

***

The next morning, Calla asked Julia where Guthrie would be teaching the older teens. When she got there, she found a room set up with three rows of tables and chairs. Guthrie’s back was turned to her while he was writing on the white board, and she slipped into the class. Several of the students turned to look. Logan, who was sitting in the front row, grinned at her.

She smiled and took a seat at the last table. Either the kids were really eager to learn math, or Guthrie had made them all sit up front. Julia had told her that he was teaching the kids about savings and investments, and she’d been curious to hear what he had to say.

He seemed to be in a really chipper mood—even more so when he turned to see her sitting in on his class. She smiled.

He smiled back at her, a wolfish look that said he was up to some mischief. Gone was any indication that he’d been worried about what occurred between them last night. She was glad to see his good humor return.

“Maybe Miss Stewart can share her experiences of being an entrepreneur,” Guthrie said, motioning to her to come to the front of the class, “since we’re talking about earning money and setting aside savings and the like.”

Her face had to have flushed as hot as it felt. She wouldn’t have minded talking to the kids, but not as a teacher would. She didn’t have anything prepared for this. She was about to shake her head, smile, and politely decline when Logan said, “All right!”

Guthrie grinned and the other kids began to cheer her on. Probably anything to get out of discussing what Guthrie had been talking about. Not to mention that whatever she said wouldn’t be test material.

She rose from her seat, tilted her chin down at Guthrie to say she’d pay him back, and then walked to the front of the class. She thought he’d just stand there, like she was his pupil and she had to give a speech. But he went to the back of the class and sat down like he was one of the students, grinning at her.

What in the world had Julia said to Guthrie last night that had made him so…cheerful again?

She took a deep breath. “Most of you probably know that I have a party and wedding planning service that I started some years ago,” she said, loosening up as she started to talk about what she loved to do. “One thing I want to make clear is that even if you don’t make a whole lot of money at your job, if you really love your work and you make enough to live off it comfortably, that’s worth more than making one hundred times the income at a job you absolutely hate. My dad taught me that and I completely agree.”

The kids looked like they couldn’t believe anyone would work for a tiny bit of money if they could make huge amounts. Guthrie raised his eyebrows too. Logan’s hand shot up.

“Aye, Logan?”

“But if you make all that extra money, you can spend it on all kinds of fun stuff and then it makes the job worthwhile.”

“What is it that you love to do more than anything else in the world?”

“Work with the dogs.”

“Aye, good. What is it you hate to do most of all?”

Logan glanced at Guthrie, and she hoped math wasn’t what he was thinking of. Guthrie bowed his head to Logan to encourage him to speak freely.

“Um, my dad is the armorer for the clan. He keeps all the weapons in good shape and makes the new swords for those of us who are coming of age.” Logan wrinkled his nose. “I hate the firing of the weapons, working with metal all day. I mean, I do it to help my dad out, but what I really love to do is work with the dogs.”

She smiled. “Okay, good example. So let’s say you could earn a hundred times more working at the armory than you could working with the dogs. Which would you rather do?”

His friends grinned at him.

“Well…the question isn’t fair.”

“How so?”

“I have to do both and I don’t get paid for either.”

Everyone laughed.

“Okay, so if you don’t get paid and you had a choice?”

“Working with the dogs. I do what I have to when I work for my father, but I can’t wait to work with the dogs every day.”

“He’s our future veterinarian,” Guthrie supplied.

“Really?”

“Aye,” Logan said proudly. “But…I’ll still help my dad when he needs me to.”

She smiled. “Well, that’s just fine. And that proves my point.” At least she hoped it did. “All right. So with my business, I’ve managed to move from one location to another and still am able to gain new clients. Word of mouth has been really important. If I have a successful event, then people who attend the event spread the word, and before I know it, I have several more engagements scheduled throughout the year.”

“What if you have an unexpected sword fight at the party and then one guy,” Logan said, looking back at Guthrie, “socks another in the nose?”