The organist played softly as Susanna and Owen came to stand in front of Pastor Lewis. Lia stood with Susanna, and LeRoy with Owen.
“Folks, we are here to join Susanna and Owen in holy matrimony. These are two people who have proven to use great sense in their lives, and I’ve no doubt the good Lord has brought them together for the purpose of matrimony.” He smiled down on both of them.
“Owen, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her so long as you both shall live?”
Gazing at Susanna, Owen grinned. “I will.”
“And Susanna, will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him so long as you both shall live?”
Susanna couldn’t help remembering her first wedding. It had been so lavish and beautiful. Her mother had insisted on fine Belgian lace for her veil, and her gown had been crafted from the best satin available. Now she stood here in a simple gown of pale blue. Nothing special, no expensive jewelry like her mother had insisted she borrow and wear when she married Mark.
Pastor Lewis leaned forward and whispered, “This is the part where you say, ‘I will.’”
Susanna flushed and glanced at Owen, who had a questioning look on his face. She laughed nervously. “I will.”
Pastor Lewis looked out at the congregation and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Whew, glad we got that part figured out.”
The people laughed, and Pastor Lewis continued. “Owen, repeat after me. ‘In the name of God and in commitment to Him and to you . . .’”
Owen took Susanna’s hands and repeated the words, looking at her with such tenderness that Susanna thought she might burst into tears.
The pastor continued, and Owen repeated, “‘I, Owen, take you, Susanna, to be my lawfully wedded wife.’”
“‘To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.’”
Owen repeated the words, and this time Susanna couldn’t hold back her tears. As Owen slipped the ring on her finger, she did her best to control her emotions, knowing it was now her turn to repeat the same vows. Fortunately, she was able to do this without stumbling over the words as she had feared.
“This is my solemn vow,” she murmured and dabbed her eyes with the borrowed handkerchief she’d gotten from Mrs. Lewis.
They had agreed it was much too dangerous for Owen to wear a wedding ring, given his job, so they merely joined hands again and looked at the pastor.
“Let us pray,” the pastor said, reaching out to lay his hands on their shoulders. “Father, we seek a blessing for this couple, Owen and Susanna. You know them to be your children, Lord, and now they have pledged before You and this congregation to be faithful in marriage to one another. We pray strength and encouragement for them and ask for prosperity, health, and understanding for each. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
“Amen!” the congregation said in enthusiastic unison.
The pastor grinned and stepped back. “I now pronounce that they be man and wife. Owen, you may kiss your bride.”
Susanna anticipated a quick peck, but instead Owen pulled her into his arms and kissed her for what seemed like much too long for a church kiss. When he pulled away, she was weak in the knees and had to fight against looking stunned.
The congregation cheered, and immediately the organ struck up.
“Well, we’ve done it,” Owen whispered in her ear.
She nodded, regaining her composure. “There’s no doubt of that.”
He laughed and pulled her close as others came forward to congratulate them.
The weather was beautiful and made for the perfect lawn picnic after the wedding. Several chairs had been brought out for the elderly who couldn’t sit on the ground, but most of the other families set up blankets on the grass so they could talk and visit with everyone at once.
Owen and Susanna had been given a special table and chairs near the food tables so that as people passed by, they could greet the newly married couple and offer gifts or comments. Given the congregation’s generosity, Owen was glad someone had suggested positioning a wagon nearby for the gifts.
Mr. and Mrs. Payne came by after many of the others had gotten their food and presented the couple with their gift. Owen was deeply touched when Mrs. Payne pointed to her husband’s full arms.
“We ladies made you a wedding-ring quilt. I had the task of finishing up the binding and wasn’t sure I’d be able to get it done in time, but here it is.”
Mr. Payne began to unfold it, so Owen jumped to his feet and helped him hold it up to show off the fine workmanship.
Susanna examined the piece in awe. “This is so beautiful,” she said, tracing the stitches the women had quilted. The colors of the rings were varied against the white background, and Owen had never seen a finer quilt.
“Thank you so much,” Susanna said, her tears streaming again.
The day had been precious to both of them, but Owen couldn’t help wondering if her emotions had more to do with memories of her first husband than with him. He frowned and hid his face as he helped Mr. Payne refold the quilt.
Did she miss Mark? Had the ceremony stirred up old feelings? Owen had never really considered if Susanna had truly finished mourning for her first husband. She seemed happy enough, but was that just an act?
For the first time since he’d asked her to marry him, Owen had doubts. What if she saw Mark when she kissed him? What if she dreamed of it being Mark’s arms that held her? Owen didn’t want a ghost to be a part of his marriage.
He reclaimed his seat beside Susanna. Why hadn’t he thought to talk about these things in more detail before the wedding?
As the celebration wound down, Owen was still considering these things. He wanted to be happy and unencumbered by the past. He had fought through his own past feelings of inadequacy, but this was something new.
“It’s time you two get over to the train depot. That southbound freight will be here in about ten minutes,” LeRoy announced.
Owen got to his feet and extended his hand to Susanna. She studied his face for a moment but got up without question. Her parents and brother came to bid them farewell, and Owen forced a smile.
“You don’t worry about a thing,” her father said. “We’ll have Gary live at the house while you’re gone.”
There had been several burglaries of late, and Susanna had commented the day before about her worries for the property.
“Thank you, Father.” Susanna kissed him on the cheek. “And you too, Mother.” She embraced and kissed her mother before turning to Gary.
Owen didn’t hear what she said to her brother because Mr. Ragsdale had taken hold of his arm and was talking about his joy that Susanna had found someone to love again.
“You are very welcome in this family—although,” Mr. Ragsdale said, lowering his voice, “you know we aren’t without our troubles.”
Owen nodded. “We all have them.” He hoped Susanna’s love for Mark wasn’t going to be one of them. He really should have talked to her about all of this.