Chapter 28

When Lucas returned from hunting, it was late in the morning. He saw Joseph crouching over some tree trunks; he looked as if he was planting on them. Moving even closer, he was right. Joseph had hollowed out a dead tree trunk, put soil in the hollowed part, and planted the herb saplings there.

There were four trunks but he had used up three; two types of herbs in each of them, giving them space to grow and produce even more sprouts.

"I was told mint and oregano spreads fast, so I left 'em together to pay attention to their growth at the same time. Basil and Rosemary could be used for tea, so I planted 'em together.

And parsley and cilantro are used for seasoning. I left space between these last four in case we get new ones, and there's still a trunk left for any other herb Isabelle plans to plant. How's it?" Joseph spoke and turned to look at his second brother.

Lucas nodded. "Looks good."

"Isabelle made breakfast for ya, just heat it and eat. Leave the stuff by the well." Joseph relayed before going back to his work. She had been very distracted, looking towards the back of the house during breakfast that the other three knew she was waiting for Lucas.

Ethan seemed to not care about it, and continued eating his food—which was very delicious. But what betrayed his upset mood was the fact he was too focused on his food, letting Joseph know he was thinking too much about the matter.

Joseph was serious when he asked Isabelle if she was playing favorites.

The women he used to 'see' told him that families that had one woman shared by several men always suffered conflicts because the Wife would favor one of the Husbands. He never believed what they said; neither the thing about sharing a Wife, nor about favorites.

Now that he was living it...

Joseph didn't want that to happen to them.

Perhaps it would be out of their control if Isabelle likes one of them more than the others, yet he hoped that wouldn't create a rift between the brothers.

Felix looked torn between wanting to strike up a conversation with Isabelle and eagerly waiting for Lucas; and he always eagerly waited for Lucas to bring meat back. The arrival of Isabelle truly changed the dynamics in the family of four brothers.

"I found a small fresh tree. Come with me to dig it up." Lucas said. Since it involved Isabelle, he didn't save his words like he usually did. It wasn't that he didn't like talking with his brothers, it was just…

"Oh! Small ones are good to transplant. Is it too far?" Joseph asked, also excited to give something to Isabelle.

Lucas noticed his brother's excitement and paused, letting his mind wander for a short while. But, he soon snapped out of it. The tall and gruff man looked at Joseph for a couple of seconds before shaking his head to reply to his question.

At least, it was not far for them with their long strides and quick pace trained by years of traversing the same terrain.

"I brought this." Pulling off a basket, Lucas uncovered it to show a small, about-to-bloom plant.

There was a good chunk of soil in its roots and the big leaves were dropped, as if they were withering, but they were very green. The orange buds were like dots amidst the greenery, and it would surely look lovely when they bloomed. Or at least, they thought that's what Isabelle would think.

"This is the tallest it can grow?" Joseph inquired, studying the plant; its leaves, the buds, the soil. Its smell wasn't pungent; more like, there was barely any smell. So, it wouldn't clash too much with the lavender they already had.

He was of the idea that it was better to get more plants and see which one would survive.

Though, if they grew in the wild, then that meant it was more resilient. He would only need to battle with pests, the change of soil the plants would experience to thrive and the care he would give them because he wouldn't let them to grow however they liked.

This new plant even needed different soil than lavender so he would have to make a separation in the flower bed or plant it in the other one. He would see.

"Around my thigh." Lucas replied. Lucas was a tall man, so a plant around his thigh was a somewhat tall plant. Joseph was satisfied with the height and already got a plan for it.

"I'll plant it with the lavender, at the back, so it doesn't cover it." Joseph decided and started mumbling about what he would do with it, the care and things Lucas was not very familiar with.

So, he left his brother to it and walked to the well where a flat rock laid above three big boulders, he put the dead pheasants and wild chickens on it while the small boar was put on the ground.

He was lucky to get this youngling which had strayed from its group. Although catching it required a bit of skill, it was easier than facing an adult boar.

Boar meat tasted really good, and it was delicious done by the fire. Most importantly, he couldn't wait to taste what Isabelle would cook with it.

Last, he checked on the wild chickens he caught alive: a rooster and a hen. Before, he would only catch one chicken, steal some eggs and eat them all with his brothers.

But after their conversation on how to improve their lives, they deemed it necessary to raise animals. So, apart from rabbits, there would be chickens, too.

He had to climb a few trees, taking care not to scare away the chickens to catch them alive. The rooster was a bit harder to catch as it savagely attacked him for invading its territory and touching its hens, but it was worth it.

With luck, they would constantly have a supply of eggs and chicken in the future.

After he made sure the rooster and hen were quietly staying put in the basket, he also left them by the well. He would look for a place to release them later.

First, he needed to greet the sweet little woman who made him put more effort into his hunting. He found her sitting at the table, leaning over a piece of fabric, moving her hand in a fast and methodical way.

She looked so focused on what she was doing that Lucas didn't have the heart to bother her, so he moved towards the kitchen to check on breakfast. He had only drunk water on the way back, so he was starving.

The fish and cabbage on the pot smelled good, so he didn't waste more time and heated it together with the leftover pancakes. Once hot, the smell was even more tantalizing that his stomach loudly cried out.

He wryly thought that his stomach was becoming more and more spoiled.

Before, even if he skipped meals, as long as he drank water, then his stomach wouldn't let out such embarrassing noises, but now… Now, he demolished the food, not even bothering to use a plate and directly eating from the pot.

With his hunger satiated, he came out of the kitchen, pot in hand to wash it, only to find the woman at the table looking directly at him. She immediately smiled at him, and he felt his face becoming hot. Obviously blushing.

Truthfully, he was a shy man; his beard helped him a lot to hide the fact his face reddened like a tomato whenever Isabelle smiled at him or they were doing naughty things. His whole body turned hot and he didn't know what to do with himself.

Perhaps he should have gotten a bit of experience before, like Ethan and Joseph, to know what to do with all his pent up energy and not scare Isabelle. His hand could only do little to help.

However, the thought of a woman doing this and that to him so wantonly, as his brothers liked to put it, made him reticent to get that experience.

"Welcome back, Lucas." Isabelle said after a few seconds she spent looking at the man from head to toe to make sure he wasn't injured.

"Hm." He nodded, taking that moment to take a quick breath to calm his beating heart. "I'm back." He coolly walked to the well to wash the pot and gut the game he brought.

Or he tried.

He felt his moves were a bit too unnatural as he was subjected to Isabelle's intense gaze. He was really nervous!

He only spent one day away from her, and she could already mess up with him to this extent. Not even when they first kissed was he this nervous.

Not long after he finished washing the pot, Joseph arrived to wash his hands. That was the excuse, of course. The third brother only wanted to have a little conversation with Lucas.

"You were really pitiful back there." He commented, not trying to tease or mock him. Lucas knew the sorry image he presented, so he was not angry at his brother's words. "Lookin' you act like a colt 'bout to mate, I would've let you have your time with her today. But yesterday, Felix asked for his own time with her, too."

Lucas looked at Joseph, and noticing the serene gaze staring back at him, he knew the words were true. "It's fine." He appeased his third brother.

He couldn't hog all of Isabelle's attention as she was not only going to be his Wife, but his brothers' too. There were moments he wanted her all to himself, but he pushed those thoughts aside as it wasn't only him in need of a woman.

Due to their conditions, it would be hard for him and his brothers to finds Wives to live with. And truthfully, they seem to have spent all their luck in this life by finding Isabelle who was willing to be together with four brothers.

After their conversation, Lucas went back to his work as Joseph walked out of the house towards their patch of land to help Felix water their crops.