Page 19 of Her Big Fat Hunky Billionaire Boss

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 there 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?”

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