"Thanks." Caitlin joined her grandma at the oak pedestal table in the kitchen. "What were the weddings like? Did you attend Grandma Emmaline's and Granddaddy's wedding?"
"Land sakes child, when they married you would have thought the queen herself was getting married in Valley View. Businesses closed, everyone got involved in the preparations, and Emmaline detested every minute of it, except when she walked down the aisle." Rachel brewed tea and then they settled in the sitting room in the easy chairs.
"Emmaline and Marshall married on April 30, 1944. The sky had not a cloud and the color was the brightest shade of blue I have ever seen. When Emmaline entered the church, a hush fell over the crowd. No one had ever seen a more beautiful bride, wearing a handmade one of a kind creation. Most women wore suits, but not your grandmother. She wore a long gown of cream linen with lace and pearl buttons. The way it laid against her thin, supple body showed a beautiful woman who took care of herself. Her green eyes sparkled, like yours, and her red hair cascaded over her shoulders like a shawl. When they spoke their vows, no one underestimated the power of the heavens. They had brought these two souls together and their love would last a lifetime."
Rachel took a few sips of tea. "As for Rebecca's wedding day, she and your father wed in the chapel, because my daughter did not believe in ceremony or tradition. She wore a princess cut dress with embroidered flowers. In her red hair was a flower wreath made of daisies. Your dad wore a black suit. The ceremony was short and sweet, but their marriage had been made in heaven too."
"You talk about my mom having a free spirit. Was she happy?"
"Deep down she was, but there was a distant look in her eyes. No one ever understood her, most of all me. I loved her like any mother loves a child. She was forever looking ahead, traveling to new places in her mind."
"Perhaps her spirit lives in me, which is why I hear granddaddy." Caitlin cringed, because she had never mentioned the wind whisperings to anyone.
"Yes, I believe that. We McAllister women have that unique way of looking at life. Why else do you think I hear Marshall?"
"You do?" Rachel nodded and Caitlin took a few minutes to ponder the realization. The little bit she was learning everyday about her family, all of them, made her realize how much she was like her mother and new found grandmother. Part of her was still sorry she had not known these women as family her whole life, but she believed deep down that this was the way it was supposed to be. When she needed family the most she got the greatest gift every. "What about your wedding day?"