The following morning, Isabel’s eyes fluttered open as the bright morning light shone through the narrow entrance to the cavern. The rain had stopped, and the hot desert sun was already at work drying the rain-soaked ground. Sitting up from where she had been laying beside Franz, Isabel looked down at her left hand and saw the ring there. Mrs. Isabel Bhaer. She liked the sound of that. Everything from the night before seemed like a dream to her until she saw that ring on her finger. After the "ceremony", Franz had tried to start a fire with the contents of his small sack, during which Isabel had fallen fast asleep, still wearing her tattered wedding gown. She had woken once in the night when a clap of thunder interrupted her peaceful slumber, and seeing Franz lying next to her, shivering in the cold, Isabel had torn off part of the train of her dress and covered him with it. And now it was morning. Of course, they would still go through with the formal ceremony, but in her mind, she was already married, and that was all that mattered. "Franz… Franz wake up. It’s morning."

Franz sluggishly rolled away from Isabel and thumped against the cavern wall, bumping his nose. Isabel giggled at the sight, and pulled Franz away from the wall.

"Good morning, Mrs. Bhaer," he said, running his fingers through his mussed hair and then leaning forwards to kiss his bride.

"My leg is feeling better now, and I think the cliff side should be dry enough for us to climb up," Isabel said as she crawled out of the cave and limped over to where the rope was still hanging, "I just hope the horses are still there."

Franz and Isabel then pulled themselves up the cilffside with the rope, and luckily, the horses were still there. Climbing onto them, Isabel with some help from Franz due to her sore leg, they began to head home.

"Oh, dear, I hope they are all right," Sheila McGregor fretted, twisting her apron strings in her hands, "if anything has happened to Isabel, or to Franz, I’d never forgive myself."

"They’ll be all right," Douglas reassured his wife, patting her shoulder lovingly, "and if they aren’t back soon, I’ll head out to the canyon and look for them myself."

Sheila smiled, somewhat comforted by her husbands words. But what if something did happen?

"Ma! Pa!" Andrew McGregor cried, running downstairs and into the parlor, "it's Franz an' Is'bel! I jest saw 'em comin' ta'werds th' ranch! Dey're all right!"

"Haven't you learned anything from your lessons with Franz?" Sheila said, her youngest son's news evading her mind's grasp.

"Well, course he 'as," Tony piped in, the westen twang in his voice evident, "but he's been learnin' more from me!"

Sheila sighed in exasperation and looked out towards the horizon. After a few moments, Andrew's words finally registered in her mind. Franz and Isabel were on their way home! Getting up out of her chair, Sheila stepped off the porch and ran out to the stable that the horses were quickly approaching. In moments, the bride and groom had reached the stable and were warmly greeted by the McGregors.

"I’m so glad you’ve home, safe and sound!"

"Are you all right?"

"Isabel! What happened to your leg?"

Isabel and Franz looked at each other and just smiled.

"It’s a long story," Franz finally said, "but I believe we have a wedding to go to."

"Oh…" Sheila began, "it’s too late now for us to leave and get to Phoenix in time for the wedding at the church." Then, looking at her daughter, she smiled, lovingly brushing a strand of hair from Isabel's scratched face. "I suppose we could have the wedding here tonight. A nice quiet candlelit ceremony under the stars. I’ll get the minister from town, and he can perform the ceremony. And as for this dress…" Sheila picked up one of the folds of the gown which had previously shone like a million pearls but now resembled a broken mirror with its many tears and cuts. "This dress simply will not do." Then, lifting her finger to her chin as if in deep thought, she continued, "I believe there is an old wedding dress up in the attic, that is if you want to wear it."

Isabel’s eyes were now brimming with happy tears, "Of course I’ll wear it!"

Sheila then embraced her daughter, lovingly smoothing her hair in the motherly way she had done so many times over the years. "So this means you forgive me for all I’ve done?"

"Yes, mother," Isabelle said, pulling slightly from the embrace, "of course, I forgive you. It’s like I was telling Franz yesterday. I don’t need all of those things like special paper, big churches and," glancing down at her torn dress, "fancy dresses."

Looking around her at the loving faces of her family - her husband Douglas, her daughter Isabel, and her sons Tony and Andrew - Sheila knew that this was what was really important.

"All I need is my family, dear mother," Isabel said as she pulled away from her mother's tight embrace and looked into Sheila's eyes with the eyes of a child that has just grown up.

Then smiling as she pulled them all into a loving embrace, Isabel said, "All I need is you."