Jacob shrugged. "We never had a ma, you see, to teach us right from wrong."
"By the time our new ma came into our lives, we were already used to our bad ways. She tried to help us, but she just couldn't do it," Joey added.
Jasmine put a hand on each boy's shoulder. "You need to get Hamm out of your mother's room, boys." She carefully kept her face blank, doing her best not to laugh at the boys' answers. She'd coached them a little on the right things to say, but for the most part? It was all them.
Joey nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He rushed into the room and caught the pig by the rope they kept tied around his neck as a leash, pulling him from the room.
Jasmine smiled at the other woman. "Are you all right?" she asked. "Why don't I make breakfast? You shouldn't have to cook when you've received such a scare this morning." She was careful to make sure her voice was filled with sympathy for the other woman's plight. Of course, she would never have bent under the pressure of pranks. She'd have been plotting revenge instead of crying the way Gloria was.
"That would be nice," Gloria fell back into her bed with a sob.
"I'll leave you to get dressed then." Jasmine closed the door, hiding her smile until she was halfway down the stairs. She could see the other woman was about to break, and it was about time. She'd only set four places for breakfast, she decided. There was no way Gloria would stick around for long enough to eat with them.
She made bacon and French toast for breakfast, listening for more screams from upstairs. She knew they were coming. She had just dipped the first piece of bread into the egg and milk mixture when she heard a shout of anger. Within minutes Gloria was stomping down the stairs.
Jasmine walked into the dining room to put the platter of bacon on the table and saw the other woman slam open Lee's door. "Lee Fields, you can just come out here right now! Do you have any idea what those little hellions did?"
Lee's eyes met Jasmine's over Gloria's head. "I don't. I hope they didn't hurt you." He was honest when he said that. He didn't want Gloria to be hurt, he just wanted her to give him the divorce papers and leave his life forever. Was that too much to ask?
Gloria shook her head. "No they didn't hurt me." She took a deep breath. While she was getting ready to yell at Lee, Jasmine saw her bag, full of clothes on the floor at her feet, and she grinned. They'd won. She and the boys had scared off Gloria.
"I'm glad they didn't hurt you, Gloria," Lee said, doing his best to keep his eyes off his wife who was clutching her mouth to hold her laughter in. What on earth had the three of them done?
"They sewed the top of my bloomers together. I went to put my legs into them, and they wouldn't go in. I had to look at them to see why." Gloria shook her head, obviously extremely annoyed. "And then I went to put my favorite boots on. Do you see the shoes I'm wearing?" She poked her foot out from under her dress for Lee to see. "They're meant for parties not for walking around in Montana. Do you know why I'm wearing these shoes, Lee?"
Lee shook his head. "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."
"Because they filled my boots with honey! Honey! Nothing is stickier than honey!" Gloria had descended to full scale screaming, and Jasmine had to sit down, because she was laughing so hard she couldn't stop.
Jacob walked in then. "That's not exactly true. Glue is stickier than honey." His voice was matter of fact as he gave his mother that information.
Gloria's hands reached out and she went for Jacob's throat. "I'm going to kill you!"
Jasmine and Lee both jumped forward, the humor immediately leaving the situation. Jasmine put herself between Jacob and Gloria while Lee grabbed Gloria's arm. "You will never hurt one of my sons. Do you understand me?" Lee was shaking with anger. How could this...witch call herself a mother? What was wrong with her?
Gloria reached into the top of her bag and pulled out a sheaf of papers that she threw into Lee's face. "Sign them and our divorce is legal. Don't bother trying to find me. I'm going to marry a rich banker and never dream of having children again."
"The world thanks you," Jasmine mumbled beneath her breath.
Joey heard the words and rushed for the door. "Let me get the door for you. Papa? Do you want me to hitch up the wagon?"
Lee laughed. Joey had never hitched up the wagon in his life and would have no idea how to go about doing it. "I'm going to wait until after breakfast to take her back to town, Joey. Gloria? Will you eat with us?" His offer was just to be polite, and everyone there knew it. He wanted her out of his house as soon as she would get out.
Gloria turned on her heel. "Absolutely not. I'll never eat with you again. I'll start walking to Billings. Please come and take me the rest of the way after breakfast." She picked up her bag and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
Lee looked over at Jasmine and noted she'd only set four places at the table. "That confident in what you did?" His eyes were full of laughter as he looked at his whole family. She was gone, and they'd be a real family again.
Jasmine's eyes were dancing when she looked at him. "I'm definitely that confident in what I did." She poured them each a glass of milk as the boys took their spots at the table.
Lee walked to where Jasmine was standing with the pitcher of milk and dropped to his knees. "I didn't ask you properly the first time, so I'm going to do it right this time. Jasmine? My love?"
Jasmine looked down at Lee and felt tears sparking her eyes. "Yes, Lee?" He was going to propose, even though she'd already married him.
"Will you marry me and spend the rest of your life having babies with me and making me the happiest man alive?"
She laughed. "Of course, I will. Get up, silly man!" Once he'd gotten to his feet, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. How could she not agree to marry him? They were going to have to fight over the boys if she didn't.
"I think we're going to have another wedding today, boys," Lee announced. He looked over at the boys to see how they'd react to the news.
Jacob shrugged. "Okay. Are we going to be having them every week?"
Jasmine laughed. "I sure hope not. Weekly weddings would get tedious, wouldn't they?" She looked at Lee. "Would you mind driving by Eli's place so I can invite my sister to my real wedding? Mama and Aunt Harriett left to go back to Seattle yesterday, but at least my sister can be with me." She wished her mother hadn't left before everything was all tied together, but she would write her a letter telling her what had happened.
They were halfway to Daisy's house when she spotted what she was looking for off to the side of the road. "Lee, wait!"
Lee stopped the wagon, and she quickly jumped down without help, picking a fistful of the Jasmine that grew wild on the side of the road. She'd have Daisy put some in her hair, and she'd carry the rest as a bouquet.
Another half mile down the road they spotted Gloria, walking toward town. "We need to offer her a ride, Lee." Jasmine hated saying it, but she couldn't let her boys' mother walk all the way to town without even offering. Jasmine hoped she'd say no, but they would offer.
Lee groaned but pulled over. "Need a ride to town?" he asked. Please say no.
Gloria looked from the twins to Jasmine and shook her head. "Not from you."
"It was so nice meeting you, Gloria. Now I know where the boys get all their good qualities from." Jasmine smiled at the older woman as she said the words, waiting for her to take the bait.
Gloria smiled sweetly. "Thank you!"
"They're so like Lee, aren't they?" Jasmine's smile was filled with pure joy as Lee drove off, leaving Gloria on the side of the road.
When they arrived at Daisy's house, Daisy pulled Jasmine into a tight hug when she heard the news. "I'm so glad it's working out. Of course, we'll be there for the wedding." She didn't add the word again, but it was unspoken in the air between them.
"Thank you for standing by me through this," Jasmine told her sister. "I couldn't have stayed strong without you. Knowing I had a place to go where mother wouldn't be constantly blaming
me was really important." Jasmine was still hurt that her other had told her that she was at fault for the situation. How could she have possibly known that Gloria was still alive? No one had known.
Daisy smiled. "That reminds me. Mother left you a letter." She walked to the mantle and pulled down a folded piece of paper, bringing it back to Jasmine.
Jasmine's face fell. "I'm sure it's just telling me that I did everything wrong by rushing to marry, and if I'd waited a year like she wanted me to, everything would have been resolved long before the wedding day." She didn't want to read the letter. She was sick of being blamed for anything bad that happened to anyone in the Sullivan family. Sure, in the past it had been mostly her fault, but it wasn't any longer. She'd turned over a new leaf.
She accepted the letter from her sister and sat down at the table to read it while Lee was out finding Eli on the ranch. They wanted him there when they married as well. "Dear Jasmine, I'm so sorry I reacted the way I did when you told me about your troubles. I need to remember that you've grown up a great deal. Sometimes I see you as that little ten year old who was sneaking reptiles into her sisters' beds just to hear how loudly they would scream. You've turned into a good daughter, a good sister, and more importantly, a good wife and mother. I'm very proud of you. I'm proud that despite your propensity for causing destruction, you can be a good mother. Those boys would never be as happy with anyone else in the world for a mother. You, my dear Jasmine, are exactly what they need. You are the wife your husband needs. I know he's probably not your husband as you read these words, but I trust the two of you will resolve that quickly. I love you, Jasmine, and I never should have been so critical when you told me about your problem that was bothering you a great deal. Just as you are constantly growing as a woman, so I am. I will endeavor to be a better mother to the woman you have become, and not just to the girl you were. Please forgive me. I wait to hear of the joyous news of your marriage to the father of my newest grandsons. Give them my love. You know you have it. All my love, Mama."
Jasmine felt the tears streaming down her cheeks as she read the letter once more. She'd needed the letter. It made her feel as if her mother could finally see all the changes she'd worked so hard to make. She'd resisted the almost overwhelming urge to play her jokes for almost a year, and yes, she'd gone a bit overboard with them lately, but the boys had needed what she'd done to them, and Gloria had needed to get out of Montana. She sighed and looked at Daisy. "Did you read it?" Did the rest of the family feel the same? Or did they still think of her as prank-playing Jasmine?
Daisy shook her head. "No, but Mama told me she was apologizing for blaming you for the fiasco with Gloria." She sat down and took Jasmine's hand in hers. "I know it seems like you're the outsider in our family, what with the names we've all called you, and the way we react to your jokes, but you're not. You're so very loved, Jasmine. I hope you know that."
Jasmine dashed away a tear. "I do now. Thank you." She smiled at her sister, knowing she'd just been given the greatest wedding gift she could have ever received. Love and acceptance for who she was from her family.
Joey walked into the house then, slightly dirtier than the last time Jasmine had seen him. He took one look at Jasmine and walked to Daisy as if he wanted to hurt her, his entire seven year old stature looming over his sitting aunt. "Did you make my ma cry?" His hands were balled into fists at his sides.
Daisy smiled and shook her head. "No, I didn't. Your grandma made your ma cry, but they're happy tears."
He seemed to accept that for an answer as he looked around for a moment. "Where is my grandma anyway?" He obviously wanted to see her again.
"She had to go home to our sisters in Seattle. You need to talk your ma into taking you on the train to see her. You'd love Seattle." Daisy smiled at her new nephew. She obviously loved them despite what she'd thought of them in the past, and Jasmine as thankful for hat.
Joey seemed to consider it for a moment. "Not until after the wedding, though. We need to be sure we can keep her before we let her go back there." He turned and left the house in search of his brother.
Jasmine grinned. "I think the boys like me." Both of them had done everything they could to show her that fact in the last week. How could a woman have ever found two more perfect boys to be her sons?
Daisy laughed softly. "I don't think those boys could love you any more if you'd given birth to them." She smiled. "I'm glad you're going to be getting married again today, though. Think of the wedding night you can have when you have an idea of what goes on in the bedroom."
Jasmine grinned. "I hadn't thought of that. I'll make sure it's the best second wedding night a couple has ever had." She thought about Lee, and couldn't help but be filled with an overwhelming sense of love. She loved him, and his boys. Did life get better than that?
Chapter Nine
The pastor was more than a little surprised to see Jasmine, Lee, and the boys along with Daisy, Eli and Dinah. "What are you all doing back here?" he asked looking between them.
Lee took a step forward. "Well, pastor, it turns out the boys' mother has been alive all this time. She came into town to get me to sign divorce papers." He pulled the papers out and showed the pastor who frowned. "We thought it was a legal wedding, or we'd never have come to you." He left out all the drama that had occurred that week.
As the pastor read the papers, he kept looking at the boys to be certain they weren't causing mischief. After the snake had ended up in his Bible that day at church, he'd never really trusted them again.
Jasmine clutched her flowers in her fist, hoping the pastor would understand their dilemma.
The pastor frowned down at the papers in his hand and shook his head. "Well, I'll be." He opened his door wide. "Come on in, and we'll get you two married again." He looked at Lee with a frown. "I hope you're not planning to make this a weekly thing."
Jasmine let out a giggle and looked down as the pastor frowned at her. How could she not laugh at that? It was almost the same thing the boys had said.
"Of course not, sir. We just didn't know I was still married." The words sounded like they were ridiculous to Lee's ears even as he said them. He didn't know he was married? What kind of idiot doesn't know when he's married?
The pastor just shook his head as he led them into his house and they all stood around. This time when Jasmine repeated her vows, she knew that she truly meant them. She had a much better idea what marriage with Lee would be like, and she was thrilled to be taking his name. When she said, "I do," the boys said the words with her.
They also said the words with Lee. The pastor just shook his head and got them married as quickly as he could. Lee kissed Jasmine with the days of passion he'd held inside while she wouldn't let him kiss her. He grinned as he realized he'd get a second wedding night with his Jasmine that night. How many men got two wedding nights with the one woman they loved?
They had lunch at the restaurant there in town, and Jasmine insisted on stopping at the mercantile afterward. She bought the boys each a new toy to thank them for their help in getting Gloria out of their lives forever. While she was there she got the supplies she was low on and then went out to get in the wagon and go home. She was so happy to be married again, she just couldn't express it.
They made the drive slow and leisurely, because none of them were in any hurry. It was special day for all of them. They'd gotten Gloria to leave, and they had gotten married for real this time.
On their way, they saw Gloria still walking toward town. She couldn't have eaten all day. "I think we should ask her if she wants a ride again," Jasmine said.
Lee looked at her, more than a little annoyed at the suggestion, but stopped and called down to his ex-wife. "Gloria? You sure you don't want that ride to town?" He didn't want her in the wagon close enough to hurt his boys, but he knew Jasmine was right in making him stop.
"I want nothing from you ever again, Lee Fields." Gloria was filthy from the dusty road, but she still refused his help.
"Oh, I am too! I didn't want to spend another minute with her." She sighed happily, knowing they'd be home in a few minutes and could start their life together. Without his ex-wife bothering them.
Mrs. Banks waited until Lee was off working before she confronted Jasmine. "What happened to the room upstairs? The one that's two down from the boys' room? I went up there this morning to dust it, and there was something sticky all over the floor." Mrs. Banks eyed Jasmine obviously trying to figure out what shenanigans the other woman had been up to.
Jasmine bit her lip to keep from laughing at the baffled expression on the older woman's face. "Don't worry, Mrs. Banks. It was just honey." She hurried away before she dissolved in huge peals of laughter that she knew Mrs. Banks would not appreciate.
She carried her things from her temporary room upstairs down to the bedroom she shared with Lee while the boys played outside. She'd declared it a school-free day due to the fact that she'd gotten married. Again. If they kept having to have weddings, the boys education would be sorely neglected.
As she put her things away in her bedroom, she smiled. It was nice to have a wedding day and anticipate a wedding night, knowing what life would be like for her. She made the bed herself, smiling as she thought about the night she would get to spend in it. She was almost thankful Gloria had come along. Now she got to have a second wedding night.
Jasmine made a special meal and baked a cake for dinner that evening. After Mrs. Banks left for the day, they ate and had their cake for dessert. "We didn't have a wedding cake the first time," Jasmine told them. "I was determined that we'd have one this time." She forked up another bite of the cake while the boys devoured theirs. She looked around the table, appreciating her family more than before because of the crazy two days with Gloria.
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