Jasmine Read online

  She pouted, her lips full and swollen from his kisses. “But I like kissing you.” Didn’t he like kissing her?

  “And I like kissing you. Too much. I almost didn’t stop.”

  “But you did.” She stroked his arm, kissing the side of his jaw. “Just a few more kisses?” He stopped once, so he could stop again, right?

  He looked at her with a shake of his head. “I sure hope we can get married this week. I don’t know how long I can keep you pure.” He was a Christian and didn’t think they should be having sex before marriage, and his little bride was going to make that very hard. Almost as hard as he was at that very moment.

  He unset the brake and picked up the reins, determined to get her home before anything else happened between them. Jasmine rested her head against his shoulder as he drove, wishing he would have let her get closer to him.

  When they arrived at Eli’s house, he helped her down, and she put her arms around him, kissing him one last time. “I can’t wait until you don’t stop me,” she whispered as she turned and preceded him into the house.

  Lee wasn’t sure what to expect when he walked into the house, but it certainly wouldn’t have been what he saw. His boys were snuggled up beside Mary on the sofa, and she was telling them a story. They seemed content to actually sit still and listen, which he’d never seen happen before.

  Lee immediately walked to her aunt. “I was told you’re the person I need to ask for Jasmine’s hand.” He looked over at Jasmine who was standing there looking so innocent despite her swollen lips. “The sooner the better, please.”

  Eli opened the door and brought a note to Harriett. “That’s the last one tonight. I can’t do any more riding.” He walked to the stove and opened the pot on top of it, serving himself a bowl of stew, acting as if Lee wasn’t standing in the middle of his kitchen.

  Jasmine sat down beside Eli. “Have you been running around investigating Lee all night?” She knew he didn’t approve of men being investigated before they could marry, because he hadn’t been warned. He seemed angry, so that must have been what he was up to.

  Eli nodded, glancing over at Lee. He was obviously surprised Jasmine would talk about it so openly in front of him.

  Lee stood waiting while Harriett unfolded and read the letter. Once she was done, she nodded. “From what I can tell, you’re an upstanding citizen. The only complaint anyone has about you is that your boys are allowed to run wild, but that’s understandable with no mother. A wife would be good for all three of you, I think.” Harriett looked over at Jasmine. “Do you want to marry him?”

  Jasmine smiled. “Oh yes!”

  Harriett looked at Mary and nodded. “I think he’d suit her fine.” She looked at Lee. “You didn’t abuse your first wife did you?”

  Lee couldn’t believe she would just ask him that right out. “Of course not!”

  “I didn’t think so. I’m fine with the wedding.”

  Mary looked at the boys snuggled against her. “Would you boys like to be my grandsons?”

  Jacob let out a loud whoop, while Joey jumped up from the sofa and ran to hug Jasmine. “You’ll really be our ma? Promise?”

  Jasmine laughed hugging the boy in return. “How else am I going to get sweet boys like you two?” She couldn’t believe it was actually happening. She was marrying the man of her dreams, and the boys were just a bonus for her. She loved them so much already.

  Chapter Three

  Mary walked over to the table, getting a pencil and paper on her way. “Let’s see. It’s going to take us a while to plan this, because of the family having to come out from Seattle.” She tapped the pencil to the table as she spoke. “We could probably get it done in a year, though.” Her eyes moved to Lee’s. “Does that work for you? Next March would be ideal.”

  Lee felt his heart sink. He didn’t want to wait a year to marry Jasmine. How was he going to ever wait that long? There wasn’t enough cold water in the world to keep taking Jasmine places. He couldn’t tell the woman that her daughter wouldn’t leave him alone long enough to even think about waiting. She wasn’t going to be a virgin for much longer, that much he knew, and he wanted their first time to be on their wedding night. “I don’t know, ma’am.”

  Jasmine shook her head. “What he means to say, Mama, is that we want to be married this week before you leave for Seattle. The boys have been without a mother for long enough.” She didn’t add that she couldn’t wait to get Lee out of his shirt. Why that was so important to her, she didn’t know, but she’d never wanted to see or feel someone naked before, and now it was all she could think about. He wouldn’t take off his shirt until they were married, so they needed to be married soon. It was that simple.

  “This week? No, Jasmine. None of your sisters gave me enough time to plan a decent wedding, and you’re going to!” Mary shook her head, glaring at her daughter.

  Jasmine refused to even consider it. “No, I won’t. We want to get married this week.” Her mother had always claimed that she was the most stubborn of her daughters, and just then, she was glad her mother knew it. She didn’t need her mother’s permission to marry. She was old enough to do it whenever she wanted.

  Mary’s eyes met Harriett’s. “Help me here, Harriett.”

  Harriett shrugged, laughter in her eyes. “You’re on your own, Mary. I think long engagements are tedious.”

  Mary turned to Jasmine. “We at least need to get you a pretty wedding gown. That’s going to take longer than a week.”

  Jasmine looked down at the dress she was wearing. “This is perfect to get married in.” It was a yellow dress with lace across the front and had a matching shawl. She couldn’t think of anything that would suit her better.

  Lee nodded. “I really like what she’s wearing now.” He did, but he would have said anything to get her to agree to marry him. Anything.

  “No! I want at least six months to plan this wedding!”

  Joey walked over to Mary and tugged at her sleeve. “Grandma? I don’t want to wait a whole year for my new ma. Please let me have her this week.” A tear trickled down his face as he asked for what he wanted, making it clear it was important to the two boys.

  Mary let out a long sigh and nodded. “How can I say ‘no’ to this sweet face? Get married whenever you want to.” She looked defeated as she dropped her pencil on the table.

  Jasmine smiled and looked across the room at Lee. “Tuesday?” That should give them both enough time to make it work. “Daisy, do you still need me? I can come over during the day to help after Mama goes home.”

  Daisy shook her head. “No, I can handle things.” They all knew Jasmine had never really been needed in Montana. She’d only been there to make their mother feel better.

  Lee thought for a moment about what needed to be done at his house before it was ready for his bride. Mrs. Banks, his housekeeper, would be off on Monday, so Tuesday sounded good. Especially if they married in the afternoon. “Yes, that sounds good.”

  Jacob looked at Jasmine. “How many days is that, Ma?”

  Jasmine smiled at his use of the word ‘Ma’ with her. “It’s two days. Is that soon enough?”

  The boys looked at each other with grins. They weren’t identical, but in that moment, they looked just alike. “We’ll have a ma in two days, Joey!” Jacob hugged his brother tightly.

  They both ran for their father at the same time, causing Lee to jump back a step. “Thank you!” Jacob yelled.

  Lee smiled down at his boys, bending to pick one up in each arm. As Jasmine watched he hugged both of them to him tightly. “I’m glad you boys approve of my choice.”

  Jacob nodded. “Miss Sullivan’s the best!”

  Joey shook his head. “We have to call her ‘Ma’ now.” He squirmed to be let down as he walked over to Jasmine, climbing into her lap. “You’re going to be the best ma two boys have ever had.”

  Jasmine looked down at him with a smile. “And you two are going to be the best boys any ma ever had?” She wondered if
they’d lie or promise to at least try.

  Joey sighed. “Don’t you think that’s asking a little much?”

  After the laughter died down, Lee took the boys and said he’d be there to pick Jasmine up at two on Tuesday afternoon.

  “Why don’t you just meet us at the pastor’s house? I’ll bring everyone to town, and you can take Jasmine home with you,” Eli offered. He knew it would be easier for the other man, and he had to take his wife and her family to town anyway.

  Lee nodded. “That sounds good. I’ll see you then.” He walked behind Jasmine, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Talk to your sister!” He brushed a quick kiss across her lips and left with the boys.

  Jasmine watched him go with a smile on her face. She was getting married. In just two days, she’d be Mrs. Jasmine Fields. The adventure of her lifetime was about to begin.

  *****

  As he drove home, Lee couldn’t help but wonder what Jasmine would be told about the marriage bed. He knew she would embrace whatever it was just like she embraced everything in life. Jasmine was a one of a kind woman, and he couldn’t wait to call her his wife.

  Once the boys were in bed, he left a note for the housekeeper, who would arrive early Tuesday morning to fix breakfast for them, letting her know that he would be bringing a bride home Tuesday evening. She’d know what to do to prepare for Jasmine. Anyone would know better than he did.

  *****

  Jasmine woke up when Dinah did in the middle of the night, and she wandered downstairs and into the kitchen where she knew she’d find Daisy sitting in her rocking chair nursing Dinah. She sat down at one of the chairs from the table and asked, “Will you tell me about the wedding night?”

  Daisy blushed, never having been as outspoken as her younger sister. “Well, what do you know?” The look on her face said she rather do anything than have a conversation about that topic with her sister.

  Jasmine made a face. “Absolutely nothing. I know that I like kissing Lee, and that he said I couldn’t take his shirt off and feel his chest, because it might lead to more than we should do before marriage. That’s all.” After the words were out she wondered if she should have said them, but then she decided she didn’t care. Daisy knew her better than anyone, and if she was going to start judging her, she’d have done it a long time ago.

  Daisy met her sister’s eyes, a grin transforming her tired face. “You tried to take his shirt off?”

  “No, of course, not. I just asked him if it would be okay, because I wanted to touch him.” Jasmine never would have removed his shirt without his permission. Even she knew that was rude.

  Daisy’s giggles filled the kitchen. “Only you, Jasmine.” After a moment, she calmed. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but only because I got so much more information from Amaryllis than I did from Mama.” She quickly explained what happened between a man and a woman. “Mama told me to lay back and let him do what he wanted, but Amaryllis told me to enjoy it. That I’d really like it if I let myself.”

  Jasmine thought about everything that had been explained. “And do you? Like it that is?” The idea of letting a man do what Daisy had described was odd, but she did like the idea of being so close to Lee.

  Daisy nodded with a blush. “It feels really good after the first time.”

  “I can believe that. I feel tingly all over when he kisses me.” Jasmine made a face. “No wonder he got flustered when I told him his kisses made me tingle between my legs.” And no wonder he was afraid things would go too far too quickly. He could tell that’s what she wanted.

  Daisy’s laughter couldn’t be contained a second longer. “I love you, Jasmine! I’m so glad you’re staying close.”

  “Even though I’m a demented nincompoop?” Jasmine asked, knowing that Amaryllis and Daisy had called her the name for years before Daisy had ever admitted it to her.

  Daisy grinned. “You’re still a demented nincompoop, but I can’t help but love you for it.”

  “Thank you for telling me.” Jasmine really was glad she wouldn’t have to hear the explanation from her mother. It was so much easier getting the facts from her sister.

  “You’re welcome. Now, do you have any questions?”

  Jasmine thought about it, and realized she had a few, but she wasn’t certain her sister could answer them without becoming terribly embarrassed. She’d ask Lee. Now that she knew what would happen between them, she was sure he wouldn’t mind answering the little questions.

  “I don’t think so. Thanks again. I may ask more questions later.” She hurried up the stairs to her room, lying in bed staring at the darkness above her. How would it feel? She thought about how she’d climbed onto his lap and pressed herself against him and smiled. It was going to feel really good. She couldn’t wait. Tuesday night could not come soon enough.

  *****

  Jasmine had everything packed and ready to go by noon on Tuesday. She felt badly about abandoning her sister, but she knew that Daisy would do just fine without her help. She’d only told her mother she should stay a little longer so she could spend more time getting to know Lee and the boys.

  She cleaned her room and put clean sheets on her bed, getting it ready for the next visitor her sister may have. You never knew when a flower might escape from Seattle to visit her sisters in Montana. It might even be nice to invite Hyacinth out for a visit. She’d realized when she’d given Lee the rundown of her sisters that Hyacinth, the sister she’d shared a room with for years, was a complete mystery to her. Could that possibly be a good thing?

  She carried her bag down the stairs and put it beside the front door, before going to make lunch for her family.

  “Are you going to be cooking for your new family?” her mother asked from behind her.

  Jasmine shook her head. “Not unless I want to. Lee employs a housekeeper who cooks for them.” She knew her mother would be thrilled with that news. She didn’t like the idea of her girls having to do all their own chores. They weren’t brought up to do them, so they shouldn’t have to.

  “Oh good. I was hoping you wouldn’t be living in the same conditions as your sister.”

  Jasmine grinned. “I don’t think Daisy lives in bad conditions, but no, I’ll have a housekeeper. I’ll probably cook some of the meals, because I’ve discovered I enjoy it.” She loved the idea of cooking for Lee and the boys. It just seemed like something she would enjoy doing, on occasion when she felt like it.

  After lunch they all left the house and got into the buggy. Jasmine was surprised she was getting nervous about the wedding. Well, not about the actual ceremony, but about whether she’d be a good wife. Her mother had given her “the talk” and she was thrilled she’d already talked to Daisy about what would happen, because her mother had fumbled through and made it sound like something horrific. The smile on Daisy’s face when she’d explained it had said a lot, though.

  Lee and the boys were waiting outside the church when they arrived. He helped Jasmine down, and kissed her cheek. “You look beautiful.” His eyes traveled up and down her body, and she almost felt as if he could see through her dress.

  Jasmine smiled. “You make me feel beautiful.” She pulled his head down so she could whisper against his ear. “You were right. I talked to Daisy and my mother, and Daisy gave me much better information.”

  He chuckled. Trust it to Jasmine to bring up their wedding night just before the ceremony. “Does that mean you like the idea of it?” He watched her closely as she answered, desperately needing her to want to make love with him.

  She nodded with a blush. “I can’t wait.” Her answer was nothing less than honest which was exactly what he expected from her.

  Mary stopped beside them. “You two have the rest of your lives to whisper to each other. Let’s get you married.” Even Mary seemed to see the urgency of getting the two married. They were obviously not going to wait much longer whether the wedding happened or not.

  Harriett caught Jasmine’s hand before she headed into the church. “I foun
d this just this morning. There weren’t many blossoms, but it should be enough.” She pressed a small bouquet of white jasmine into Jasmine’s hand, and Jasmine immediately lifted it to her nose to sniff it.

  “Oh, thank you, Aunt Harriett.” Jasmine hugged the older woman tightly. “You always know the right things to say and do.” She handed her aunt one sprig. “Would you put this in my hair for me?

  Harriett wove the small stem into the bun Jasmine’s hair was in. “It looks good.” She smiled, slipping her arm around her niece’s shoulders. “I couldn’t let you marry without jasmine.” All of her sisters had their flower on their wedding days. There was a greenhouse in Seattle that grew them, and made it easy for them to find their flowers, but Harriett had gone out of her way for these special blossoms.

  Jasmine clutched her flowers to her chest as she stood in front of the others with Lee at her side. She repeated the words the pastor spoke and then lifted her lips for his kiss. “I now pronounce you man and wife.” The kiss was simple and sweet, but Jasmine made sure to reach out her tongue to touch his lips, causing him to smile.

  The two men transferred her bags while she hugged her mother and aunt goodbye. “I’ll miss you both!”

  Mary shook her head. “You’ll be seeing us before we leave. I need to make sure my baby is still okay.”

  Jasmine smiled. “He’s going to take good care of me, Mama.” She was certain she’d see her mother many times before the two of them left Monday.

  “He’d better.” Mary walked to the buggy she’d ridden into town in and waited while Eli helped her up.

  Jasmine stood at the side of Lee’s wagon until her family was out of sight. She turned to Lee then, putting her hand on his chest and offering her lips for his kiss. “I’m glad we’re married.”