When she pulled up to the Microtel Inn, Damian came out and hopped into the passenger seat. “You got a new car.”
“It’s my sister’s.”
He’d traded his suit for casual wear, and she couldn’t stop staring. It was like he had a team of stylists following him around. It was so not fair that one man could look that good this early in the morning. She shoved a hand through her hair, glad she’d at least brushed it.
“Just drop me off at my car. I’ll return your shovel when I get done.”
Kat swallowed. How was she supposed to get him to let her show her around town? And what would Lydia do if she didn’t?
Chapter 5
Damian stared out the window as the snow-covered streets went by. Yesterday Kat had driven like a crazy woman. Today, she inched along so slowly he wondered if she were waiting for ice to form on the tires.
“We’ll make it there today, won’t we?” He meant it as a joke, but Kat didn’t laugh. She coughed and turned a lovely shade of pink.
“Sorry. Icy streets.”
“You had no trouble at all on them yesterday.”
“I’m just distracted I guess.” She bit her bottom lip and pulled over, behind the mountain of snow that held his rental car captive.
He hopped out and assessed the situation. “You brought a shovel?”
Kat opened her trunk and lifted it out. “Here you go.”
“All right. I’ll swing by your place when I’m done. What’s your address?” He pulled out his phone to type it in.
She shoved her hands into her coat pockets. “Well, I was thinking I could stay and help you dig your car out.” Her gaze darted all over the street like she was nervous.
“That’s okay. I can get it.”
She nodded but didn’t move. Instead, she stared down at her boots. “I could show you around town. Since you’re new here and all.”
Damian took in a breath and let it out slowly. This was an interesting development. The girl was coming on to him. Although she was pretty, he couldn’t date an employee. But he didn’t want to crush the girl. Maybe it would be okay if he spent the day with her, as long as he sent enough signals that there wasn’t going to be anything between them. “All right.”
Kat’s head snapped up and she looked relieved. “Good. Then it’s settled. I’ll get the windshield scraper out.” She pulled a long brush out of the trunk.
He began shoveling around the tires as she brushed off the top. She was attacking the roof with such gusto that little flakes were hitting his neck. He looked up and a blast of snow hit him full in the face. He sputtered. “Hey!”
Kat’s head popped up from the other side of the car. “Oops.” She grinned and bit her bottom lip. “I didn’t mean to get you.”
He brushed off his coat and hair. “Just be more aware of what you’re doing.” It came out way grumpier than he’d planned, and he cringed. When had he turned into a sour old man?
He bent down again to dig, and a pile of snow fell on the back of his head, getting in his collar and falling down his shirt. He jerked up and Kat let out a laugh. It echoed off the downtown buildings. “Lighten up, Scrooge.”
Maybe he deserved that. He scowled at her. “Funny.” He bent to pretend to shovel again but instead scooped up a handful of snow. Two could play this game. He snuck around the car. When she wasn’t looking he ran behind her and tossed it down the back of her sweater.
She squealed and did a little dance. “Oh, that’s it. You’re on.” She scooped up a large pile of snow and came at him.
He backed away. “No fair, that’s three times as much.”
“Too bad.” She lunged at him, slipping on the ice. He reached out to catch her but they both toppled over. Snow slid down his back and he let out a shriek. Kat laughed and tried to get up off him, but slid again and landed on his chest, forcing out a grunting noise.
“You screamed like a kindergarten girl,” she said, trying to catch her breath as she laughed.
He tried to frown at her, but it didn’t work. He couldn’t stop smiling. “I did not.”
Her giggles cascaded over him as she tried once again to get off him. “Okay, it’s official. We’re stuck like this.”
He looked up into her blue eyes. They were like deep pools of glass. Her face practically glowed when she smiled. His heart stuttered and he sobered. He couldn’t look at her that way. He rolled to his side and they both sat up.
“Guess we’d better keep digging or we’ll never finish,” he said, his voice husky.
Kat stood and shook the snow off her. “Yes. You’re right.”
As they shoveled, Kat’s phone rang. She answered it, turning away from him, maybe so he wouldn’t hear, but it didn’t work. He could hear her just fine. “Hey, sorry it’s going to take longer than I thought.” She paused. “Yes. I’ll talk to you later.” Another pause. “Right. I promise to tell you everything.” Kat looked up at the sky. “I’m hanging up now.” She touched the screen and pocketed her phone.
“What was that about?”
Kat shook her head. “Just my sister asking about her car.”
After they finished digging the snow, he drove to the hotel and parked. When he was back in Kat’s vehicle he said, “Okay. What does this town have to offer?”
“First, let’s go to Russ’s.”
“What’s that?”
She shrugged. “You’ll see.” She drove to a part of town he hadn’t seen before. When she pulled into the parking lot, he gave her an incredulous look.
“A grocery store? What’s so special about this?”
Kat hopped out of the car. “Come on. If I’m going to show you my awesome town, you’re going to have to trust me.”
Damian followed her in the door. It just looked like a regular grocery store. As they walked his phone chimed. He looked at the display. His mother. He silenced the phone and slid it into his pocket. He would call her later.
Kat walked up to a woman handing out samples of cheese and crackers. “Hey, Sandra. How’s it going?” Kat leaned on the table and popped a piece of cheese in her mouth.
Sandra smiled warmly and slid more food toward Kat. Her plump figure and soft demeanor reminded Damian of a nanny he had as a child.
“I was a bit worried about the streets, but they seem to be okay. I think we’ll still bring in the crowds for the carnival tonight.”
Kat swallowed and picked up another sample. “Mm, this smoked kind is good.” She held the cheese square towards his mouth. “Try it.”
Seriously? She wanted him to eat it out of her hand? Was she insane? Damian backed up. “No, thank you.”
Kat made a face. “Open up. You’ll like it.”
Several shoppers stopped to stare at him. Heat rose up his neck. “I don’t want to try it.”
She rolled her eyes and popped it into her mouth. “Okay,” she said with her mouth full. “But you’re missing out.”
“It’s on special today,” Sandra said. “Only $2.99.”
Kat picked up a block. “Sold. How’s Henry?”
Sandra sobered and shook her head. “He needs surgery. I just don’t know what we’ll do. We’re barely scraping by as it is. We may have to wait until after Christmas. He’s just in so much pain, I don’t want to wait too long.”
“Who’s Henry?” Damian asked, taking a step closer as he got into the conversation.
“Our basset hound. He’s got a tumor.”
“How much is the surgery?” Kat ate another sample.
“They said it would be over four thousand dollars.” Sandra shook her head and blinked back tears. “I just don’t know what to do. We may have to put him down.”
Damian felt bad for the woman, but he couldn’t do anything about it. “Sorry to hear that.”
Kat patted Sandra’s arm and swallowed. “I’m sure you’ll find the money somehow. I’ll be thinking of you. We best be going. Say hello to Fred for me.”
Damian blinked. “Wait, you’re Fred’s wife?”
/> “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t properly introduce you. Sandra, this is Damian. He’s the one who’s here to shut down the newspaper right before Christmas.”
Sandra’s mouth pinched into a thin line.
“No! I’m not. She’s kidding.” He forced a chuckle. “Always a kidder this one. Happy Holidays.” Damian grabbed Kat’s arm and pulled her down the aisle. He rounded on her. “Why do you keep doing that?”
“I’m just messing with you.” She gave him a sweet smile, but there was a bite to it. “Lighten up.”
“Look, you can’t go around saying stuff like that. You’re going to cause panic.”
“And you’re not causing panic? You heard her. They may have to put down their dog because they can’t afford the surgery.” Kat’s eyes flashed at him.
“I heard. And I feel sorry for her. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Nothing you can do?” Kat let out a frustrated grunt and tossed her hands up in the air. She walked away. “Of course, there’s something you can do,” she said as he followed her into the feminine products aisle. She stopped suddenly and turned to him. “Keep the newspaper in business.”
“I still don’t know if I’m shutting it down. I need to find out more information.”
Kat frowned. “Fine. Whatever.”
Damian stared at her. “Is that way you dragged me in here? So I could feel bad for Fred and his wife?”
“It was more of a kill two birds kind of thing,” Kat muttered and handed him the block of cheese. “I can do some shopping while we’re here.” She stood back and looked at the shelves of tampons.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.” She picked up a box and stuck it out to him.
He stepped back. “No way am I holding that.”
“What, you have a fear of tampons?” Kat’s voice rose as she spoke.
“Stop that,” he hissed.
“Didn’t you have any sisters?”
“No. And I changed my mind. I don’t need you to show me around town.” He handed her the cheese. “Take me back to my hotel.”
Kat’s eyes widened. “Wait! I’m sorry. I sometimes get crazy when I kid around. Please, don’t go. There’s more I want to show you. Real stuff this time.”
He couldn’t figure this woman out. One minute she was coming on to him, the next she was acting passive-aggressive toward him. Was she into him or did she hate him? It seemed more like the latter, so he turned to leave.
Kat ran after him. “Come on. There are salami samples in the meat section. You don’t want to leave until you’ve tried them, do you?”
He rounded on her. “Meat samples? Are you crazy?”
Kat lowered her gaze, her hands falling to her sides. “No. Just hungry. All I ate for breakfast was a granola bar.”
“What?” Damian hadn’t expected that. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I didn’t want to be rude,” she mumbled while looking at the ceiling.
He couldn’t help but smile at her. “You? Rude? Never.”
She snorted.
“Let’s go get something to eat. If I recall, Dale’s has good food.”
Her face brightened. “Deal.” She handed her purchases to the checkout lady and paid for them. Soon they were sitting in the red vinyl chairs eating sandwiches.
Damian studied Kat when she wasn’t looking. She was not like other people. Even though she got under his skin, he found himself really liking her. “Tell me something. Why do you want to work at the newspaper so badly?”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Have you ever done something, and you were really proud of it, and then a lot of people told you they enjoyed it?”
What was she talking about? “Um…no.”
“Well I have, and it feels good, you know?”
He squinted at her. “Not really.”
Kat glanced around the diner. She got up and walked to a table in the corner, picked up a newspaper and came back, slapping it on the table in front of him. “Page twelve.”
Damian unfolded the paper and turned to the page. “Geriatrics doctor retires?”
She scoffed and pointed. “No. This.”
He scanned the column, then he stopped and read it closer. “This is hilarious. Someone actually responded to one of those dumb emails?”
She grinned and rocked back on her heels. “Yep.”
Surprised, he looked up at her. “You?”
“Uh huh.” She sat down opposite him.
“Is this response real? Did you get a scammer to write you a sonnet in the style of Doctor Seuss?”
Her grin widened. “I sure did. What you see there is a condensed version. You should see all the back and forth emails before he did what I wanted.”
Damian studied the paper. “How long have you been writing this column?”
“About a year now.” She picked up the last of her sandwich and took a bite.
“And this is why you don’t want the newspaper to shut down?”
She glared at him. “You don’t get it, do you? What I do there matters to people. Maybe not as much as what Fred and Sarah report on, but I’m going to work my way up. I’m going to write stories and people will read them. If you shut it down, I’ll lose more than just my job. I’ll lose my home, and my connection with this town.”
“And what’s so great about this town?”
Kat’s eyes suddenly filled with tears and she turned from him. “It’s all I have left.”
Chapter 6
Kat blinked away her tears. What was wrong with her? Why was she getting all sappy? She did not want to tell Mr. Bossy Pants about her personal problems. She mentally pulled up her big girl panties and sucked it up. “Sorry, did it just get all weird in here? Maybe we should talk about something lighter, like the food and water shortages of the world.”
Damian looked at her funny, then smiled. “You don’t have to do that.”
She took a huge bite of her sandwich to stop herself from talking any more. “Do what?” she said around the food.
“Deflect like that.”
She swallowed. “Who’s deflecting? Anyway, I want to show you Walton Park when we’re done eating.”
Damian slowly nodded. “Okay.”
They sat and ate in silence for a few minutes. Kat stuffed the rest of her sandwich in her mouth and stood. “Ready?”
“I’ve never seen anyone talk with food in their mouth as much as you. But surprisingly, I can always understand you.”
“It’s a talent.”
She walked outside and got in her sister’s car. Damian’s limp was a little more pronounced, and she wondered what had happened, but it felt weird to pry, so she didn’t say anything. After he buckled, she took off down the street. “Walton Park is Pleasant Hollow’s largest park. There are camping facilities, and that’s also where we have the fair in the fall.”
“Should I be writing this down?” He gave her a cocky grin. “You kind of sound like a pamphlet.”
She rolled her eyes. “Shut up. My town is awesome, as I’m going to show you.” She pulled into the parking area and shut off the engine.
Damian looked out the window. “Nice. They’ve shoveled the trails already?”
“The Christmas Carnival brings in a ton of people to the town. I’m sure Parks and Rec are just getting ready for them.” She got out and locked the car. Damian caught up with her as she started down the trail. Tall pine trees lined the walkway, their branches heavy with glittering snow. A squirrel chattered in a nearby tree. Damian seemed to be struggling to keep up, so she slowed.
“Does it hurt?” The words were out before she could censor them. He gave her a blank look, so she clarified. “Your leg.”
Damian’s gaze darted away. “Not as much as it used to.”
She bit her lip, trying to keep the rest of her questions at bay, but it didn’t work. “What happened?” she blurted.
He worked his jaw muscles. “Car accident.”
She sensed ther
e was more to the story, but let it go. She’d done enough prying for one day. They followed the path down the hill to a pond. A wooden bridge crossed over the shallow end of the water that was frozen over. Kat stopped in the middle and leaned over on the railing. She peered down to the ice. Damian followed her gaze. “What are you looking at?”
“Just wait.”
It didn’t take long. A family of ducks came waddling out of the trees and over to the pond. The mother duck stepped onto the ice, and the little ones followed her. Damian smiled. “They’re adorable.”
They quacked as they waddled over to the bridge. Kat leaned over more to get a closer look.
“How did you know they were going to come over here?”
“People come here to feed them. Now they think whenever they see people, they’ll get food.”
Damian’s eyebrows knit together. “But we didn’t bring anything for them.”
“That’s okay. They get plenty of birdseed from the local kids.” As if to punctuate her statement, shouts from children beyond the hill carried in the air.
Damian pointed up the path. “What’s over there?”
Kat grinned at him. “Come with me. I’ll show you.” She started up the walkway, Damian by her side. When they crested the hill, Kat stopped. “Here it is. The best sledding hill in all the land.”
Damian chuckled as they watched the Larson boys playing with their round toboggans. Kat shoved his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go try it.”
He gave her a confused look. “We don’t have a sled.”
“We’ll borrow one.”
“But we—”
Kat didn’t wait for him to finish. She started through the deep snow to where the kids were gathered. Damian grunted and followed her.
She approached the oldest boy. “Hey, Timmy. My friend here has never gone sledding.”
Damian frowned. “I have—”
Kat kicked his shoe and Damian stopped talking to glare at her. She patted his shoulder. “He’s seriously missing out. Can we borrow your toboggan for a minute?”
Timmy shrugged. “Sure.” He handed her the sled.
Her Big Fat Hunky Billionaire Boss Page 4