Hey, Welcome to my new story and new account. I have been trying to improve my writing and I hope you all enjoy this story.

It was 1850, in the middle of May. In the small town of St. John in the Oregon Territory, a wedding was about to take place that would change St. John's forever.

The Pontipee farm was about 12 miles from St. John up in the Mountains. The farm was rather, over 100 acres with a barn and a small house in the middle. That house was home to seven brothers.

The oldest brother was Adam. He was 29. He had fiery red hair like all of his brothers. Adam had a large broad chest with a lot of muscles from working hard on the farm. He was load, stubborn, and very demanding. He was very protective of his little brothers and had basically raised them.

Benjamin is the next oldest at the age of 27. He was a quiet man, following Adam wordlessly. He only stepped out of his shell around animals. He was riding horses almost all the time. He was very quiet and caring.

Caleb was 25. He was the book worm of the family. He loved reading and drawing. He never would do it around his brothers though, he was afraid of being teased. He was everyone's friend and very trusted.

Next came Daniel, aged 22. You could always count on Dan to make a joke and liven up a room. He was very optimistic, loud, happy, and funny.

Daniel's twin, Ephraim, was the complete opposite of him. Ephraim was the quiet brother, even more than Ben. He hardly even said a word, so when he did, you listened. He had a magnificent work ethic. He was very sweet and kind.

After the twins came Frankincense, called Frank for short. He was 20 years old. You never want to make him mad, or else you would have to face his red headed temper. He was always mad about something. He started many, many fights.

And finally, the baby of the family, Gideon. Gideon was a small man at the age of 18. Being small made him very quick and nimble, but not nearly as strong as his brothers. He was sensitive and easily scared.

Now, these seven brothers lived in a mud pit. Their home was a mess, and the food was horrible. Their Ma had died when Gideon was only five, so from an early age, they had had to learn to do it all themselves. And to be honest, Gideon wasn't much of a housewife.

So, the six youngest brothers told Adam that he should get married so someone would cook and clean for them. Adam just ignored them and told them to shut up. But he knew that he needed to. So, he decided that the next time he went into town to trade he would bring back a wife.

That brings us to that fateful day in May. Adam went into town to sell the beaver furs that they had shot that winter. He rode into town whistling and pulled up in front of the general store.

He watched three young girls walk by, giggling to each other. He smiled at them and then to the general store owner, "Howdy Mr. Hollom!" He called waving his hand in greeting.

Mr. Hollom looked up from the newspaper he had been reading on the front porch. "Howdy Adam." He said in reply.

Adam started to unload his wagon. He lifted the beaver furs onto his shoulder and went into the store.

Mrs., Hollom and her two daughters, Dorcas and Jenny, were working inside. Mrs. Hollom and Dorcas were behind the counter and young Jenny, who was no older than eight, was organizing the ribbons.

Adam looked over at Dorcas thoughtfully. She was a hard-working girl. She could be a good wife.

Dorcas was 20, same age as Frank. She was tall and very outspoken. She argued a lot and was very protective of her little sister. Even though she was kind of sassy, she could cook, clean, sew, and had been working in her parents store for as long as Adam can remember.

Adam walked over to her and smiled brightly, "Good day Dorcas. You look lovely as always." He greeted.

Dorcas looked up, her brown curls bouncing, "Good day Mr. Pontipee." She greeted with a wave of her hand. Adam saw a sparkle on her hand and looked closer. On her left hand was a simple silver ring with a small purple stone.

"Old Nathan finally popped the question?" Adam asked with a forced smile.

"That I did." A smooth voice said behind him. Adam turned to see Nathan Starffon. Nathan was a tall, well dressed gentleman. He was a middle-class man, but the way he acted, one would think he was the king of Spain. He had thick black hair and thick eyebrows. He had a thin mustache that looked like a hairy caterpillar taking a nap on his face. He was in his late forties and marrying a girl over twenty years his junior. Adam found this rather creepy.

Adam forced another smile, "Well, Congratulations you two!" He proclaimed.

Nathan walked around the counter and wrapped an arm around Dorcas saying, "Why thank you Adam." Adam could not help but notice how Dorcas stiffened slightly when Nathan touched her.

Adam turned to Mrs. Hollom, who had been weighing the furs he had brought in. "You have about 20 pounds here Mr. Pontipee." She told him.

Adam nodded and asked, "And how much is beaver worth this year?" He asked.

"Six dollars a pound." Was the reply he got.

"Okay then, I'll trade you for a new plow, two tubs of lard, 20 pounds of chewing tobacco, and you wouldn't happen to have an extra wife in stock would ya? I'm looking for one of them." He said leaning against the counter.

Mrs. Hollom frowned at him. Dorcas raised her eyebrows and sassed back, "Any special brand?"

Mrs. Hollom frowned at her daughter and then raised an eyebrow at Adam. "Well look at that, thinking you can come in here and trade for a wife like she was a bag of meal!"

Adam flushed slightly and tried to explain himself. "Oh no ma'am. I didn't mean it like that ma'am."

She raised a finger at him and spoke harshly saying, "Well let me tell you, none of our gals are going to go off with you to bear county and work her fingers to the bone for some ornerier backwoodsmen."

Just then the front door opened, and three young ladies walked in, Sarah Kine, Liza May, and Martha Halby.

Sarah Kine was a sweet, quiet girl from back east. She had long light brown hair and green eyes. She was very sensible girl, especially for a 17-year-old.

Liza May was an 18-year-old. She had dirty blonde almost brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was a very smart girl, she loved to read and loved to talk. He was really sweet, if a little loud.

Martha Halby was 19. She was a very conservative girl. She followed all the rules and made sure everyone ese did as well. She had waist length brown hair and brown eyes.

"Morning Mrs. Hollom!" Sarah called happily.

"Morning Sarah." Mrs. Hollom said walking over to the three girls.

"We're having a quilting bee!" Liza exclaimed happily.

"We thought you might have a few odds and ends we could use." Martha explained.

"I'll see what I have." Mrs. Hollom said.

Adam looked the girls over. They were all very pretty and young. "Well, how about these gals?" He asked Mrs. Hollom.

Mrs. Hollom strictly replied, "Oh no! These girls are not available."

"Why? They married?" Adam asked

"They are spoken for." Mrs. Hollom replied putting an arm around Liza.

Adam laughed. "Oh, just spoken for. You had me scared." He walked around the girls looking them over."

"I am telling you. These girls are promised to be wed!" Mrs. Hollom yelled.

"Well a lady can change her mind, can't she?" Adam said grinning. The girls looked down at their feet, "Well you are all pretty, fresh, and young. But I ain't deciding nothing till I look them all over." He then turned and left the store in a hurry.

"What a strange man." Martha remarked turning back to the fabric.

Outside, Adam walked into the town square looking at all the females as they walked past him. He judged every girl. "Pretty and trim but kind of slim." He muttered as a thin tall girl walked by. "Got big eyes but oh that size." He thought as a short girl skipped by.

Adam kept walking till he came to a building. The building had a big sign on it that read "SANDERS RESTURANT!" in big letters. He stopped as he saw a pretty blonde girl in the courtyard chopping wood. And right then and there, Adam knew, She was his future wife.