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“Or an amazing day of epic fun.”
“I only agreed to go on this trip because I had to.”
He squeezed by her, his arm brushing against hers and setting off fireworks inside her. “I know, but you’ll be begging me for another trip by the time the day is done.”
Confident bastard.And sexy. Always so goddamn sexy.
“Okay, kids,” he said, addressing her class as if he owned that classroom.Herclassroom. The one place she belonged and was in control. “Today, as we journey into the woods on our hike, I want you to take on the role of a troop of trolls.”
The students giggled and Leah couldn’t help smiling herself.
“Trolls on the hunt for what trolls love the most,” he continued.
“What’s that?” Luke asked from his seat at the front table.
“I’m so glad you asked, Luke.” Dakota spun around and stepped to the whiteboard. He picked up a dry erase marker and pulled off the cap. “Trolls are singularly focused on one thing when they skulk through the forest.”
Leah smiled when all the students leaned forward in anticipation. She had to admit to being a little curious herself. What tale was this guy weaving? And why were the students—and Leah—so willing to get caught up in it?
Dakota dragged the marker along the whiteboard until he had a terribly out-of-proportion drawing of a… unicorn. He stepped back and angled his head at the sketch, a frown turning those lovely lips down. “Okay, I know I’m a horrible artist.”
“You’re not good at everything. Who knew?” Leah snapped her mouth shut, embarrassed she’d actually said that aloud in front of her students.
He shot her a glance, narrowing his eyes at her. “I never said I was good at everything.”
“Yeah, he stinks at cooking too,” Luke said with a giggle.
Dakota whirled around and pointed a finger at the boy. “That’s it, kid. You’re carrying my extra heavy backpack on this excursion.”
“What’s anexcursion?” Avery, a girl sitting across from Luke, asked.
“A fancy word fortrip,” Dakota and Leah said at the same time.
Their gazes locked for a moment and Leah held her breath. Dakota’s sea-glass eyes gave her a good once over and she felt as if he’d touched her.
“So trolls hunt unicorns?” She gestured to his truly awful drawing.
“Yes, m’lady, they do.”
“Why?” She rather liked his creativity… even if his drawing sucked.
He rolled his eyes and faced the students again. “For their magic of course. Where have you been, Miss Greenstead?”
“Indoors.”
His lips twitched up and that sweat returned to her brow. Only it wasn’t confined to her brow now. Pretty much a full-body thing at this point.
“Well, that changes. Today.” He held up his fist to the students. “Gather your necessities, trolls, and follow me!”
A flurry of activity swept through the classroom as the students grabbed their hats and the walking sticks Leah had helped them make earlier in the week.
She gave the students the hand signal to line up at the classroom door. “We have to pick up their lunches in the cafeteria. I believe they’ve been put into a box.”
“Already taken care of, Miss Greenstead,” Dakota said. “Luke’s mom picked up the lunches and threw them in an ATV. She stowed them in a bear-proof cooler and dropped them off at our picnic site.”
“Oh…” She hadn’t counted on him being so efficient.
He pried her lunch bag out of her hand and set it on a small table by the door inside the classroom. “You won’t be needing this either. I packed you and me a special lunch.”
