Mrs. Murphy and several other women carried Eleanor upstairs to prepare while men arranged tables and chairs outside.
Someone brought wildflowers.
Early spring blooms Daniel had collected from the meadow.
"Now this is more like it," Mrs. Murphy declared as she helped Eleanor dress.
Eleanor wore the same navy wool dress as before.
But this time Mrs. Patterson contributed a delicate lace collar.
"A proper wedding for a proper couple," the woman said.
Eleanor caught her reflection.
Stopped.
The gaunt, frightened woman of 6 months earlier was gone.
Color filled her cheeks.
Light filled her eyes.
She looked like a woman who was loved.
And knew it.
When Eleanor stepped outside, the yard had transformed.
Tables bowed beneath food contributed by neighbors.
Children raced between adults.
Lanterns hung between trees even though afternoon sunlight remained.
Thomas stood beneath an old oak where a simple altar had been arranged.
Eleanor's breath caught.
He wore his best suit.
The same suit from their first marriage.
Yet everything about him was different.
Six months earlier, Thomas had looked stiff.
Formal.
Guarded.
Today he stood relaxed.
Smiling.
Eyes warm with the certainty of a man marrying the woman he loved.
As Eleanor walked toward him, she heard the fiddle.
Children whispering.
Neighbors murmuring.
But Thomas held all of her attention.
He watched her like she was the most precious thing in his world.
This time, when Reverend Morrison asked if she took Thomas Caldwell as her husband, Eleanor's answer rang across the yard.
"I will."
Clear.
Strong.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Thomas took her hands.
"Eleanor."
His voice carried easily.
"Six months ago, I offered you a practical arrangement."
A few people smiled.
"Today I'm offering you my heart."
Eleanor's eyes filled again.
"You brought laughter back into this house."
Thomas looked briefly toward Daniel and Samuel.
"Wisdom to my children."
Then back to her.
"And love to a man who believed he'd never find it again."
His hands tightened around hers.
"I promise to cherish you."
"To stand beside you."
"To choose you every day for the rest of my life."
Eleanor's vows were simpler.
"Thomas, you gave me shelter when I had nowhere else to go."
She smiled through tears.
"But more than that, you gave me family."
"Purpose."
"And love I never dared hope for."
Her voice strengthened.
"I promise to be your partner in all things."
"To love your children as my own."
"And to help you build a future worthy of the dreams we share."
When Reverend Morrison pronounced them husband and wife this time, Thomas's kiss contained no hesitation.