One Bride for Nine Brothers

First and Second Impressions

Last week I was rereading the book up until the end of the last chapter and I thought, "Dang author, why don't you have more written?" And then I remembered it was my story and I'm the one who writes it. Ugh. Enjoy!

Sure enough, at 4:30, Sean, Owen, and Kota walked into the parlor room of the boarding house. Sang had been waiting eagerly, impatiently doing her chores in an attempt to make time move faster. It didn't help. When the door opened, she looked up from the pillowcase she was making and a bright smile was painted on her face. The three men greeted her, and after bidding farewell to Erica and Jessica, the four were off.

It was about one mile to the farm that the brothers owned. They chatted along the way, "So how are you finding Phantom Maiden? Everything you ever dreamed it to be?" Sean was very charismatic.

"I really like it here. It has a charm that many other towns I considered didn't have." That charm may or may not be related to the nine men she had met this week.

Kota said, "Well, I sure hope you like it enough to stay for a long while. I know that Ma and Jessica really enjoy your company. And we like seeing you around, too."

Sang looked up at Kota's blushed face, "I enjoy every bit of time I get to spend with you."

Interrupting the tender moment, Owen spoke, "Kota told me that you are from South Carolina. What part? I spent some time there myself, as a youth."

"Just outside Charleston. My father owns a plantation. I helped out quite a bit, more so with the few animals we had and in the kitchen than in the fields." Sang didn't want to tell them how her family truly treated her. At least not yet.

Owen hummed, "It seems like your father's plantation is a lot like our farm."

"Just not too similar, I hope," Sang smiled.

The three men agreed. Somethings just weren't right.

"So if I may, what brought you into town today if not for church?"

"I had to help Dr. Roberts, he's the other doctor in town, with a few checkups on some newborns. We've had ten born in the past two months, which is a lot for Phantom Maiden, he was overloaded," Sean said, lifting his doctor's bag.

"He really just wanted to see the babies, they're his favorite," Kota ribbed.

Sean shrugged, "I can't deny the truth."

Owen rolled his eyes, though Sang wasn't sure she had truly seen the action. He said, "I needed to wrap up a few things at the bank. Nothing too terrible, but one of our workers fell sick last week so the remainder of us had to pick up his work on top of ours."

"Kenneth sure falls sick more often since he and Stuart and Daniel married Rebecca," Sean commented.

"What about you, Kota?" Sang asked.

"Well, I just wanted to come to the boarding house to see my three favorite women. And to drop off a letter at the post office."

"Three favorite women?"

"Yes. Ma, Jess, and Sang." He smiled. Sang blushed.

"You flatter me."

"A man's gotta try."

Kota and Sean flirted with Sang the rest of the way, Owen throwing in several comments of his own every now and again.

~*~

They came to a stop in front of a large wooden house. It had two stories, and several chimneys. Sang gazed upon it in awe. Sean gently tugged on her hand, beckoning her indoors.

Voices could be heard from just outside the door, all of them at least slightly familiar to Sang. Her heart started to flutter just a little bit faster, whether out of excitement or anxiety, she could not tell. The door swung open.

The house was much like she had expected, a large living space greeted her first, chairs and sofas surrounded a large fireplace, paintings scattered across the walls and a staircase going up. Through a doorway, a kitchen and dining area sat next to a room Sang could only get a glimpse of.

Gabriel was the first to greet her, "Sang, that dress looks marvelous on you. You're going to put my tailoring business in trouble, I can tell."

She huffed a laugh, feeling anxious at causing Gabriel trouble. Luke popped his head around the corner, "Well there she is! We were beginning to think they forgot to get you and had to turn around to get you."

Owen moved around Sang, placing a bag that she somehow hadn't noticed down in the living area. Sean and Kota moved into the kitchen, though the others who were in there quickly pushed Sean out. He made eye contact with Sang and shrugged, moving back over to her.

Victor came down the stairs, a bright smile painting over his face. "Sang! I'm so happy you made it! Sit, sit! Did no one offer you a seat? You put smart men in front of a pretty girl and they lose all sense of everything."

Sang blushed and sat down, Victor and Sean next to her. Gabriel came in from the kitchen, "North, Silas, and Nathan have been working out in the field all day, but they should be back soon, once they get the chance to wash up. And then we'll have dinner." He winked at her, then disappeared back into the kitchen.

Luke, Gabriel, and Kota came back into the main room, a plate of dried fruit in Kota's hands. He offered some to each of them, then set it on the coffee table.

"Sang, I'm sorry about what Nate said last week at the tailor's shop. Proposing marriage like that... I know it happens with some people, but I'm pretty sure that it doesn't normally happen with one woman to nine men." Gabriel moved toward the end of his seat, placing his hand on Sang's on the armrest of her chair.

"You did WHAT?!"

The group turned around to see that the others had returned from the fields. North stood fuming, Nathan looked sheepish, and Silas had a sly grin on. The others in the room, except Sang, were surprised at the outburst and unexpected entrance. Sang looked shocked at North's yelling.

"North," she soothed, "it's okay."

"No, it's not! They shouldn't have asked that of you!" North began to rant.

"North, I would have said yes, under better circumstances." Sang tried to calm him.

"Great, look at what you did! Now we've lost our chance with her!" He ignored Sang.

"If I had known all of you when I was asked!" Sang screamed over North.

He stopped, "Really?"

She nodded, "Really."

"Well! At least let us have dinner with you first!" Luke exclaimed, breaking the atmosphere, and making everyone realize just how hungry they actually were

~*~*~
Word count: 1103
Uploaded: 21 August 2019