Page 4 of Bear's Heart

“The stove is high,” she said, “and I’m tempted to suggest that we remove the double ovens so the gas top can be lowered, but that depends on how much functionality you want and need.”She hesitated.“And your budget, of course.”

“I don’t want to spend money I don’t have to spend.”

“Do you have a budget in mind?”

“I want to do as little in here as possible.I spent a fortune the first time getting it just the way I wanted.I’m not wanting to destroy what we did.”

“But the layout doesn’t work for you anymore—”

“It’s fine.”

“I don’t think so.As a designer, I believe that functionality is even more important than aesthetics.”

“If you cut down the island like you suggested, you’ll have to replace flooring.”

“I’m sure we can find an open box of material to patch, and you’d really be so much happier with a work or dining area that you could just roll under, whether you’re prepping something or reading mail.”

“Maybe.”His brow furrowed.“Can you give me some numbers for what it would cost?”

“I can.”She hesitated.“What about the sink?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“You’ve only been back a few days.Won’t you be frustrated when you try to use your kitchen?”

He lifted a dark eyebrow.“What makes you think I haven’t?”

“The stove top is spotless.I doubt you’ve ever turned a burner on, never mind the oven.”

“I’ve turned the oven on.”

She remembered the stack of frozen pizza boxes in the freezer.“I suppose pizza counts.”

His hard jaw eased.His lips curved faintly.“They don’t have Door Dash out here, and I’m too far for Domino’s.”

She smiled back.“Well, a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”Josie turned to the island again, studied the dimensions, making a mental note of where she’d cut the island, and where they’d need to patch the floor.“Just a thought, we could turn some of the island’s lower cabinets into dish drawers.That way everything you need is easily available beneath the counters.I know a good carpenter who could do it in a couple of weeks, but you’d have to be patient with the process, since he’d probably be working you into his existing jobs.”

“A couple weeks?”

“You want someone good,” she said.“This is a custom kitchen with custom cabinetry.I’d only have the best finish carpenter work here.”

“How disruptive would it be?”

“Depends on what we need to do for the bathroom.Should we look at that next?”

“That’s where your skilled carpenter will be spending most of his time.”

“On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the bathroom?”

“A seven or eight?You’ll see in a moment what I mean.With enough maneuvering, I can shower and brush my teeth, but I’m not always successful.I’ve ended up on my butt more times than I care to admit.”His lips twisted, a mocking smile.“Not that I haven’t ended up on my butt plenty of times in the arena, but I got paid to fall.Here, not so much.”

Again, Josie heard that thing in his voice that moved into her chest, making her heart ache.At least Jasper had grown up with his disability, not ever knowing a different life.Her dad had spent a life as a rancher and roofer, and he’d found it nearly impossible to come to terms with his accident.“Show me the way to your bedroom.”

He gave her a look that put heat in her cheeks and made her face burn, a look that indicated he’d heard that before with very different intentions.Thank goodness, he didn’t say anything, though, and pivoted the chair.She followed him through the wide kitchen doorway, back to the entry hall, where he turned left, rolling down a narrower hallway.The hallway was paneled, a warm rich wood that added warmth and style to an otherwise uninspiring space.Josie was surprised when he stopped, and leaned forward to turn the doorknob, pushing it open and rolling inside.

It was a small bedroom, with a full-size bed.There was no fancy bedframe or elegant linens, just a simple comforter spread over a mattress, the mattress on top of the box mattress, on a metal frame.The bed, though, was the same height as Bear’s wheelchair which would make it easy to transfer.She suspected the wide nightstand was also there for leverage, should he need it.Except for the bed and nightstand, there was no other furniture in the room, and she knew why.He wouldn’t be able to turn in the room if there had been a chair or desk.Throw rugs would just tangle him up.The room was empty and plain so he could get around.But it didn’t have to be that colorless.It could be so much better.

“The bathroom is in here,” he said gruffly, passing what she imagined was a tiny built in closet, to push open a door, revealing a small bathroom with a tub-shower combination, a built in vanity, and a toilet.A hospital style shower chair sat inside the tub.The shower head was a handheld device and it dangled into the tub.

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