One Bride for Nine Brothers

Ulterior Motives

Here's another chapter! Enjoy!

Sang, Kota, and Jessica sat at a table, full plates in front of them. "So, Sang, where are you from?" Kota asked as he took a bite of the eggs on his plate.

"South Carolina, my father owns a plantation there. It wasn't the best situation, so I left when I got the chance."

"Well, I hope you like it here-" Kota was cut off by the jingling of the door bell. All three turned to look.

"Kota! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!" A man with dark hair and a deep voice called as he entered, another man, much taller than the first, followed.

"I told Nate that I was headed to the boarding house to get Jessica for breakfast before I left."

"Hmm. He conveniently left that part out." The man glanced over and saw Sang, "Forgive me, Miss, my name's Victor, and this here is Silas. We're friends of Kota."

"Nice to meet you, Victor. And you too, Silas. My name's Sang."

"Did you need something, Vic?" Kota asked, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, right. Gabe wanted me to tell you that your new shirt is ready. It'll be in the store when you're ready for it."

"Really? That's all you had to tell me?"

"Uhh yes."

"He came here with an ulterior motive, Nate saw you with Sang and told us. Victor, here, had to see it for himself," Silas clapped Victor firmly on the back.

"And just why are you here, Silas?" Victor asked, shaking the other man's hand off his back.

"Well I had to see it for myself, too. But that part wasn't secret."

"Well, whatever your reasons, I'll head over to the tailor's after we finish here," Kota said, as he filled his fork again.

Victor and Silas took their leave, bidding Sang an extra sweet goodbye, causing her to reflect on Jessica's words from yesterday. Just exactly how did Phantom Maiden differ from back east?

~*~

Jessica stayed behind at the restaurant, grumbling when Kota offered to show Sang around town, tired of being a third wheel. Kota and Sang wandered across the street to the tailor's shop where a man was being measured for a new shirt, at least, that's what it looked like to Sang. The man smiled as the two walked in, "Hey, Kota! Who's this lovely lady you have with you?"

"Nate, this is Sang, she's new to town. Sang, this is Nathan."

"Pleasure to meet you, Nathan."

"The pleasure is mine, Sang."

"Oi! Stop moving, Nate!" Another man came out of the back room, carrying a bundle of clothing. He spotted Sang. "Well, hello Miss. What is a beautiful woman like you doing wearing a horrible dress like that? Wait here, I have just the thing for you."

Sang was a bit startled by meeting this exuberant man, who had seen her and immediately complimented, then insulted her. She turned to Kota, a frightened look on her face. He laughed, "That's Gabriel. That's how he always is, doesn't sugarcoat the unimportant stuff."

The man, Gabriel, came back with a beautiful pink and white dress. "This should suit you much better than that old thing you have," he said as he held it up for all of them to view.

"Oh, it's beautiful! But I could never afford it. Especially not now," Sang said forlornly.

"Which is why I'm gifting it to you. Think of it as a welcome gift. Yes, Kota, I heard you introduce her to Nate," Gabriel replied.

"He's really just going to have Victor or Owen pay for it. Victor and Owen work at the bank, among other things, so they're pretty well off. Moreso that the rest of us, at least."

"Owen?" Sang questioned.

"He's another one of our friends, you'll meet him soon enough, I'm sure. There's nine of us total, and you've already met more than half. We all live out on a farm about a mile away from here, most of us work in town when it's not harvest or planting season," Kota patted her hand that was still resting on his arm.

"I'm looking forward to meeting them," She smiled. "Well, as much fun as this morning has been, I need to find a job. The little bit of money I have left is quickly running out. If I'm going to want to continue to live, I need some way to earn money. Or, if my stepmother were here, she'd tell me to just find a rich husband," if she spoke to me at all, Sang added in her mind.

Kota, Gabriel, and Nathan all glanced at each other, a silent conversation passing through their gazes. "Well," Nathan started, rather hesitantly, "the nine of us are in the business for a wife, so if you find yourself desperate, we'd be happy to help."

"Or even if you're not desperate," Gabriel hastily added.

"But don't feel pressured by any means, no one's offering you marriage just because. There's ten men to every woman in Phantom Maiden, and you'll see that while many of the women have taken more than one husband, there are some who only have one. We're just eager because we've waited a while to find a wife, and now all of the girls that are marrying age are already married." Kota was rambling, but mostly to soothe any ruffles that Sang may have gathered from Nathan's blatant marriage proposal.

"I think I'd have to meet the rest of you, but the thought of more than one husband doesn't necessarily scare me. My life has never been normal, so I don't see why it would start now," Sang calmed the men, though they were still a little on edge.

The offer wasn't all that strange, she knew she'd probably have to get married soon after moving here, for both protection and necessity. And in several of the towns she had passed through, there had been men and women with more than one spouse, so that wasn't all that surprising either.

"Well, I need to get back to work, and so do Nate and Kota. Sang, it was lovely to meet you, don't forget to take this dress with you. Come by sometime to show it to me, I'd love to see you in it. Or just to see you. And be sure to tell me if it doesn't fit right," Gabriel shooed then out of the tailor's shop.

Sang waved goodbye as they left, then turned to Nathan and Kota. "I don't want to keep you from your work any longer."

"You aren't keeping us from anything, we'd much rather be spending time with you," Nathan said, his cheeks warming.

"Regardless, I should be heading back to the boarding house, see if I can help with the chores."

"Well, then, allow us to escort you home," Kota said, squeezing her hand in the crook of his elbow.

"Okay," she smiled. Nathan took the dress from her and offered his other arm to her.

They arrived at the boarding house quickly and said their goodbyes. So much had happened today, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

~*~*~
Word count: 1189
Uploaded: 7 August 2019