Free Stitched Up Heart (Combat Hearts Book 1) by Tarina Deaton Page B

covered walkway, which connected the colonial-style house to the much newer-looking oversized two-car garage. A small porch opened into a breakfast room with an old-fashioned potbelly stove tucked into the corner.
    “Do you actually use that?” Bree asked, looking at the stove.
    Jase glanced to where she was looking. “Sometimes, during the winter. My bedroom is right above us, and the chimney goes up through the wall, so I use it for heat instead of turning on the thermostat.”
    “Doesn’t that make the rest of the house kind of cold?”
    “Don’t really use the rest of the house. There are two more fireplaces if I need them. I cut enough wood to get me through the winter. It’s not like we’re up north and I’m battling negative degree temperatures.”
    “Good point.”
    “Come on. Let’s get your mutts settled and get dinner started. I’ll take the rest of your stuff up in a bit. The family room okay to put their beds?”
    “Wherever we’ll be spending the most time is fine.”
    “Feel free to take a look around.” Jase carried the large dog beds down a short hall and disappeared around the corner.
    Bree glanced around. The U-shaped kitchen opened into the breakfast area. Rather than follow Jase, Bree went through the door to her left, which led her to the dining room. Built-in hutches occupied two corners of the room. Judging by the thin layer of dust on the table, Bree guessed Jase ate all his meals in the kitchen. Formal double doors to her right led her to the foyer. Straight through was a formal living room was one of the two fireplaces Jase had mentioned. Through two more double doors was a large family room where Jase had arranged the dog beds in the back corner, next to the second fireplace. A large framed drawing hung above the dark wood mantel.
    Bree stared at the picture. It was the same one tattooed on his back. A black and white montage of battle scenes. It looked like it was drawn in pencil or charcoal. The detail was exquisite.
    At the back of the family room, a short hall led to a full bath and a bedroom, which Jase used as a home gym. On the right, stairs led to the second floor. She kept walking around to the right and found herself back in the breakfast area and kitchen. Jase was pulling food out of the refrigerator, and she could smell onions and peppers sautéing on the stove.
    “Fajitas okay?” Jase asked when he noticed her come back into the kitchen.
    “That sounds good. You chopped up those onions while I was walking around? Are you a culinary wizard?”
    Jase chuckled. “The exact opposite. I hate chopping onions so I buy them pre-sliced.”
    “Huh. I’m assuming you have beer,” she said.
    He pointed a wooden spoon at the refrigerator. “Yeah, I have beer. Help yourself.”
    “You want one?”
    “Sure.”
    Bree grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and opened one for Jase.
    “Do you want some help?”
    “I got it. Sit down and relax.” She sat at the table and watched Jase move around his kitchen. His butt filled out his jeans nicely, especially when he bent to get another pan out of a lower cabinet.
    “How old is your house?” Bree asked, trying to distract herself.
    “Court records said early 1920s. There were some renovations done in the late 70s, early 80s, but it was in pretty bad shape when I bought it.”
    “I was going to ask if any of it was original. The brick in the living room is gorgeous,” she said.
    The sound of sizzling meat hitting a hot pan filled the kitchen. “My best friend Tony and I spent a little more than a year renovating after I bought the place,” he explained. “We had both just gotten out of the Army and just wanted to relax a little. Have a place away from people.”
    “How much land do you have?” she asked.
    “Almost ten acres.”
    “That’ll get you away from people.”
    “Tony didn’t adjust so well after getting out,” he said. Jase looked at her, something in his eyes. A haunted look. One she had observed in