Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable and obvious characters. The characters that are not recognizable, belong to me. Some plots that I have borrowed from C.C. belong to him and I do not make a profit from any of my stories.

This is my first story, so please review. Criticism is welcome.

I looked to my mother as she came into the parlor. She glanced at me before she took a seat on the winged back chair across from me.

"You know that you are not off of the hook for your outburst earlier." She said as she adjusted her skirts.

"My outburst? That's far from what you would call an outburst." I said, my voice exasperated. "I do not see why I have to get married. Lillian is already married and Sara is engaged to be married in a few months' time. Why do I have to be married?" I asked as I stood.

"You know that as daughters of this family, you and your sisters are to be married to respectable men from respectable families. It is your duty to carry on their families bloodlines." She said as if it were the simplest thing spoken of.

"They do not need me to carry on their bloodline. There are hundreds of other women who would be willing to take my place." I said as I settled my hands on my hips.

"My goodness, Monica. Would you just accept your duties already? Your father and I are going to continue to look for an ideal match for you. If you do not like him after two weeks, you can tell me and your father and I will remove our deal with his parents. Do we have a deal?" My mother asked and I nodded my head and left the parlor.

I am the third eldest out of several children. All daughters. My mother was seventeen when she married my father and fell pregnant with my eldest sister, Lillian, four months after her marriage. When Lillian was a year and a half, Mother fell pregnant with Sara. Then when Sara was almost two, I was born.

Lillian is eighteen and had been married for a few months now, and Sara is seventeen and to be married in several months. I am sixteen but I will turn seventeen a week after Sara's marriage. Emily is fourteen, Georgia is twelve, Minnie is seven, and the youngest, Magdalene, is only six months old. There was a son and two daughters between Minnie and Magdalene.

My mother, Claire, is fair in all aspects of the word. She is towheaded and gray eyed. She is taller than the average woman in today's time, but she is also slender and slightly muscular. My father, Wesley, is a big, burly man. Curly brown hair adorns his head and expressive olive eyes. He owns a lumber factory and is gone often. My father is not the type of man to let others do his work. He enjoys going out and cutting trees. All of my sisters with the exception of Magdalene have blonde or light brown hair with their eyes varying in color. Lillian has our grandmothers fierce, dark blue eyes, Sara's are a deep brown, Emily, a soft greenish gold, Georgia, also brown, Minnie, an emerald green, Maggie, our mother's gray eyes, and myself our fathers' eyes.

We were considered an influential family because my father owned the lumber factory in our town and several others all over the country. I knew there were plenty of suitors lined up for a chance to court and marry me, but none of the men so far had caught my attention or made my stomach flutter.

I walked through the house until I exited to the back door. Outside, Sara, Emily, Georgia, and Minnie were running around and playing, with the exception of Sara, who was holding Maggie in her arms.

"Here, let me take her. You go and run around, enjoy the childishness while it lasts." I said as I held my arms out for Maggie. Sara gratefully deposited Maggie in my arms and she skipped off to join the rest of our sisters. I sat on the steps and cradled my baby sister in my arms, and adjusted her tiny dress and her bonnet.

"Do not grow up too fast, little one. Enjoy life and all it offers. I might not be here one day and soon it will only be you with mother and father and they will be trying to marry you off. Remember, I will always be here for you. I am not going to abandon you like Lillian did to us. I miss her dearly, but I suppose you haven't the faintest clue who she is, for you weren't born yet. I love you and our sisters." I told her, but I severely doubted that she understood a word I had said.

We sat there in silence for a while until Minnie came and sat next to me, out of breath.

"Are you feeling well?" I asked her and she nodded. "Just a little winded. I think I'm going to rest here with you for a while." She said as she leaned against me. I wrapped my free arm around her and she welcomed the gesture.

"Monica?" I heard her quiet voice a few moments later. "Yes Minnie." I acknowledged her. "When do you think Lillian is going to come for a visit? We haven't heard from her since her marriage to Jackson a million months ago." She said as she played with a blade of grass. "I don't know, Mi. It's only been eight months. You know what Mother says. 'A good wife has no time for her old life.'" We both recited at the same time.

We lapsed into a silence again until we were called over by Sara.

"Monica! Come sit with us!" She called from the blanket underneath the huge tree in the middle of our yard. Emily and Georgia were already spread out and relaxed. I look to Minnie and she nodded. We both stood up and made our way to the blanket and our sisters.

Sara and I sat side by side against the trunk of the tree with Maggie in my lap and Emily and Georgia laying across our legs.

"Today is such a beautiful day. I wish everyday was like this one." Emily said as she tugged at the bottom of her bodice. "I agree." Emily said as she reached up to tickle the bottom of Maggie's foot. The babe laughed and withdrew her foot. We sat there for a while longer until we saw Mother approaching.

"Uh oh. Here comes the warden." Emily said and Sara and I chuckled. Mother came closer and sat between Sara and I and we leaned into her. Georgia and Minnie were laying fully across her lap and she shifted Maggie into her arms.

"Hello little love. Are you enjoying the day with your sisters?" She cooed to her youngest daughter. The girl giggled and released a series of spit bubbles that mother wiped away with her thumb.

"Mama?"

"Yes Minnie."

"Do you know when Lillian is going to visit?" Minnie asked and Mother momentarily froze.

"I received a letter from your sister the eve before last. She said she was going to visit today. In a little under an hour now." She said and it was silent before everyone began asking questions at once.
"Calm down girls. You can ask her when she arrives, but for now, I want to enjoy this day with my girls." She said and we all relaxed.

We stayed, nestled with mother under the tree until we saw a familiar figure approach us from the house.

"Lillian!" We all practically flew from our resting place and swarmed our eldest sister. We hugged her at once with a ferocity that probably will leave her slightly breathless. She hugged us all with a ferocity that matched our own, and when mother approached, we shuffled to the side and let them embrace.

"Oh, my dear girl. How we've missed you so. Are you enjoying married life?" Mother asked as her and Lillian stepped back from their embrace.

"It's okay. I do miss you though." Lillian said. She was drawn to our youngest sister. "May I?" She asked as she held her hands out to accept Maggie.

Silently, Mother transferred Maggie to Lillian and Lillian held Maggie in her arms.

"Hello. I'm your sister, Lillian. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you until today. I can already tell that we're going to get along just fine." She cooed and the rest of us watched on. "What's her name?" Lillian asked with out taking her gaze off of Maggie.

"Magdalene, or Maggie for short." Mother said. But before anything else could be said, Father came from the house with Jackson a step behind him.

"How are my girls doing?" Papa asked as soon as he was close enough.

"I think we're okay. Do you have the time Wes?" Mother asked and he took out the silver watch from his vest pocket.

"It's a little past noon." He relayed the time and mother thanked him.

"I best get started on dinner. I'll leave you lot to catch up." Lillian, Sara, and I offered to help but our offers were shot down almost immediately. We rejoined the others.

"How is Richard, Sara?" Jackson asked. Jackson and Richard were best friends, practically grew up together.

"He's fine, getting over a slight flu. That's why he hasn't been 'round lately. Didn't want to get any of us sick." She said ans she braided her hair over her shoulder. Surprisingly after, it was quiet until Jackson spoke to me.

"If I may, Monica. A friend of your sister's and I, will be visiting us next Tuesday. Lillian got to talking to him about you and he has taken an interest with you. I have already spoken to your father and with your consent, I would like to bring him to meet you formally next Wednesday." I knew Jackson only had the best intentions, but I couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed.

"What is his name?" I asked as I crossed my arms around myself loosely.

"John Doggett. His family owns a few banks in the surrounding cities, but he's a lawman in the next town over." He said and I thought about it for a moment.

"Okay, I'll meet with Mr. Doggett." I agreed and had I known what my life would be like thirty years from now, I would have inquired about him a lot sooner.