The Little Matchmaker Part 2 A Little House fanfic

 

 The Little Matchmaker Part 2

Almanzo and Laura have another argument, but it doesn't last very long thanks to a little matchmaker. Story complete in one chapter.

The Little Matchmaker Part 2

“Beth, how many times do I have to tell you that there is nothing between Thea and me,” Almanzo said, staring at her. 

Laura frowned.  She was standing at the sink washing off the dishes.  As soon as she finished, she handed Manly one to dry. 

“I’ve been hearing all kinds of things, Almanzo,” she said, washing off another dish as Manly put one in the cabinet. “And every time I need you for something, you’re upstairs with her.”

“Yes, it’s true, we’re always talking,” Almanzo answered, as he accepted another dish.  “I can’t lie, Laura, sometimes we get to talking too much, but it’s always about you and what you’d like and what you want and how much money I want to spend and….”

Laura stopped handing him dishes and turned around to look at him; a frown still on her face.   “So you’re telling me that you neglect me and your daughter because of some piece of jewelry she wants to sell you?”

“How many times a day does Coop visit with you?  I swear, Beth, I’m beginning to think he likes you a bit too much.  I don’t complain every time he shows you another belt buckle or a decorative horseshoe do I?”

 “Oh, Manly,” Laura said, turning back to the dishes.  “Now that’s ridiculous, Cooper is a…

“Married?  Yes and so is Thea.  And I’ll remind you in case you’ve forgotten.  They are married to each other.  And they are very much in love.”

Laura looked at him.  “You don’t sound too happy about it.  You sound a little disappointed to me.”

Almanzo frowned.  “Beth,” he sighed, shaking his head.  He threw down the dish towel and walked out, just as three and half year old Rose wandered in.

“Papa?”

But Almanzo wasn’t listening; he walked right past his daughter as if she didn’t exist.  She waited and watched as he walked out the door, and then, with a look toward her mother in the kitchen, followed him outside.

“Papa?” Rose called, running after him, “Papa, stop.”

And Almanzo turned and with a smile bent down to her height.  He caught her as she ran into his arms. 

“You know, Rosey, you shouldn’t be running in the middle of the street like that, you have to be very careful.”

“I wanted to be with you, Papa,” she said, looking in his eyes.  “I wanted to cheer you up.  I heard you and Mama Beth yelling at each other again.”

“Yeah,” Almanzo, said, rubbing her cheek and stroking her hair.  “I made a mountain out of a molehill, didn’t I?  I shouldn’t get mad at your Mama, but sometimes I do.  Nothing to fret over Rosey Posey, we all get angry sometimes.”

“Yes, but you and Mama get angry at each other too much.  Don’t you love her?”

Almanzo stared at his daughter.  Out of the mouths of babes, he thought as he stood up.  “Of course I love your Mama.”

“You don’t act like it,” Rose said.

Almanzo looked at his daughter.  “Come on,” he said, as he extended his hand.  “Come take a walk with me.”

“Are you going to see that lady, Mrs. Highsmith?  Mama Beth says that she thinks…”

Almanzo looked at his daughter.  She was a smart one.  

“I don’t love Mrs. Highsmith, Rosey.  I love your mother; I’ll always love your mother.  And you can tell her I told you that.”

He was talking to her as if she were older.  He was forgetting how old she really was, just like he kept forgetting Beth’s age.

“Manly,” a voice called after him.  He turned to find Laura staring at him. 

“Beth,” he whispered, looking into her eyes, “My Beth.”

And he dropped Rose’s hand and ran into her arms in the middle of the street. 

He kissed her and forgot everything else.

They parted and he stared into her eyes.  “I can’t stay angry at you anymore,” he smiled. 

“I don’t want you to be angry,” she said, as the two of them drew closer together.  They were about to kiss again when a small voice called….

“Papa,”

Almanzo released Laura and looked downward. 

“Rose?”

“Over here, Papa.”

Laura and Almanzo turned to find Rose in the middle of the street, Cooper Highsmith holding her hand.

“She just ran out to say hello, right Rose?”

“I’m so sorry, Coop.” Laura said, Almanzo’s arms resting lightly on her shoulders.  He was still looking into her brown eyes as she was looking into his blue ones.  It’s just that we were a bit….“

“I’ll take her back,” Coop said, “Thea has a surprise for her.  And you two have a surprise in the barn back there.”

But the two of them weren’t really paying attention, they were more interested each other. 

“Come on, Rose,” Cooper said, looking at Laura and Almanzo.  They couldn’t take their eyes off each other and they had forgotten that they were still in the middle of the street.  “We’ll see them soon.  Let me take you to the barn in back of the boardinghouse. You’ve been there before, right?”

“Are we going to see Mrs. Highsmith?”

Cooper smiled and looked into her eyes.  “You are a smart little lady, Rose,” he whispered, bending down to kiss her forehead.  He looked into her eyes, stood up and took her hand again.  “Come on; let’s leave your Mama and Papa alone for now.”

XXXXXXXXXX

“These are beautiful,” Laura said, going through the baby dresses that Thea had discovered.

“I saw them and thought of you and Mannie,” she said.

“It looks like Rose loves them too,” Cooper said, as Rose grabbed a pretty pastel blue dress with lots of lace and handed it to Almanzo. 

“Rose,” Laura said, frowning, but Almanzo just took the dress and took hold of his daughter’s hand. 

“Come on, Rosey, let’s go try this on.”

“And the furniture is lovely,” Laura said.  “We really could use them in Rose’s new bedroom.   Manly was going to build some of it, but with this…”

“It was all there,” Thea smiled, looking at her. “All we thought of was you and Mannie.  Use it well.”

Laura smiled back, ran into her arms and kissed her on the cheek.  “I don’t know how to…”

“You don’t owe us anything, Laura.  The gift of your love and friendship is all that is needed here.”

“Beth, Coop, Thea,” Almanzo called from the little curtained off area that Thea used to store her things in.  “You’ve got to take a look.”

“Ladies, come here,” Cooper said, smiling.  “Laura, your daughter looks beautiful.”

Rose was the first one out followed by Almanzo.  He was beaming as he looked at Laura. 

“She looks like a little princess,” Almanzo said, as he looked at his wife.  “All that lace.”

“I have to admit that color looks really good on her.”

Almanzo smiled and nodded.  “I have to agree.”

“And it fits her well, although some of them need to be taken in.”

“And that should be no trouble for you, Beth.  You can do anything.”

“So,” Thea said, looking at Laura.  “Does this mean that you like it?”

“Of course, they like it,” Mr. Edwards said, as he walked into the Highsmith’s room. “It was partly my idea to get it for them.” He turned to Laura.  “After all, she is my goddaughter and I promised your Pa that I’d watch out for his family.”

“And we appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Isaiah, and all of you.” Almanzo smiled.  And there were hugs and kisses all around until Mr. Edwards made his announcement.

“Mr. Sherwood Montague requests the honor of your presence in the dining room as dinner is being served.  Jenny and Rachel are helping out tonight.  Is everyone ready?”

“Let’s go,” Cooper said, looking at his wife.  “I’m starved.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 “I absolutely can’t believe that Mr. Montague made that cold chicken with the weeds and sprinkles….”

They had moved into one of guest bedrooms upstairs; it had reminded them of their small bedroom in the house that Almanzo and Charles built to surprise Laura with.  

“It’s called lemon chicken and it has herbs and aspic and…”

“Tarragon,” Almanzo said, smiling, moving closer to her on the bed.  “You don’t have to remind me.  Mr. Montague was so surprised that two of us knew exactly what his dish was.”

“Uh, Manly,” Laura said, “Guess who told him about it?”

Almanzo’s eyes went wide and his shy smile appeared on his lips.  “And you probably made the potato salad.” He put his arms around her shoulders.  “Go ahead and tell me that I’m wrong.”

Laura smiled and shook her head. “Okay, you’re wrong.  Mr. Montague did all the cooking.  We got to talking about the lemon chicken recipe because it was so hot.  He told me that he wanted to show off his culinary skills.”

“I guess that means he wanted to show us all he could cook,” Almanzo answered, still smiling.  “Well, I got news for him.  No one, no one beats my wife at cooking, no one.”

“That’s all well and good, but if I remember right…”

He kissed her lightly on the lips, pulled back and stared into her eyes.

“There were several times I could question it, though,” he said, trying to keep a straight face.

“MANLY,” Laura said, as Almanzo started to laugh.  It took a few seconds before Laura joined in, and they kissed again.

“Did you like the surprise?”

“You mean you knew all the time?”

“You mean about Rose’s furniture for her new room?   Yes and no, Laura.  I saw Isaiah and Coop maneuvering it into the barn out back, that’s the yes part.  I had no idea it was supposed to be for Rose’s new room.  No one even told me.  Did you know that they all chipped in to buy the set for us, too?”

“And I guess that included Thea Simms Highsmith didn’t it?” Laura shook her head and frowned.  “No, no one told me a thing.  How did you find out?”

Almanzo was trying not to smile.  “Rose repeated exactly what she heard Thea, Cooper and Isaiah talking about.   And that’s when Mrs. Thea Simms Highsmith walked inside to show you and confirmed it.  She’s a smart little thing, Beth.  Sometimes I forget that she’s only three and a half going on four.  It’s amazing how much like her Ma she is.”

 Laura looked into his eyes.  “What’s that supposed to mean, Almanzo?”

His smile only widened.  “Only the good things, darlin’,” he whispered, playing with her long loose auburn hair.  He shook his head.  “Only the good things, that’s all. I love you, Beth, and I always will.”

And Almanzo kissed her again and this time there was no interruption.

Eternal Flame A Little House fanfic

Almanzo and Charles are in Mankato finishing up their deliveries.  They have been stuck there for two nights because of the weather and other things. Story complete in one chapter.

Eternal Flame

Almanzo stared out the window.   According to the mantle clock downstairs in the hotel lobby, it was two in the morning.  He turned over to look at Charles who was sound asleep in the bed they shared.  They were headed back to Walnut Grove in the morning.  Storms and floods kept them in Mankato for two nights and so was a busted wagon wheel on Almanzo’s rig.  They already dropped off two loads in Mankato and were waiting to pick up one for Jonathan Garvey in Sleepy Eye and another for the Mercantile in Walnut Grove.  Things were getting downright busy.  And now, here they were holed up in this tiny hotel room for two straight nights with only one bed between them.

Charles was great company, he was funny and witty.  He even had a lot of Laura’s characteristics, stubborn and feisty, but that’s where it ended.  He was no Beth no matter how similar their personalities.   

They were hoping to be back sometime later this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest, depending on traveling conditions.   He would go crazy if they couldn’t make it back this afternoon.  Almanzo couldn’t go another night away from his Beth.

Almanzo missed Laura, he missed her terribly.  The pouring rain outside their room made the feeling worse.  It reminded him of Sleepy Eye, the night he delivered the money to Houston, the night he caught pneumonia.  But, even though he boasted about how much he had accomplished while he was living there, he still missed her.  He saw her face wherever he went and he couldn’t shake her from his mind, no matter how hard he tried. And when she showed up to help Adam and Mary fix up the old courthouse they rented, it only made things worse.  It only made him love her more.

And from that time on, nothing would ever be the same again.  Not without Beth by his side.

He was glad that she was staying with Caroline at the little house. This way they could keep each other company and watch the youngsters at the same time.  The two of them worked during the day while Albert kept a sharp eye on the younger kids.   

Just one more day, he kept telling himself, just one more day.  He shook his head, stared out at the pouring rain and thought of the woman he loved. 

“Beth,” he whispered, as he placed his hand on the windowpane, “My Beth.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“I love you, Manly,” Laura whispered as she stared out the window.  She placed her hand on the windowpane and imagined that he was next to her on the bed.  Instead she was sharing it with Carrie, but not at this minute.  Something, a feeling perhaps, made her go to the window and look out at pouring rain.  She extended her hand and placed it on the window as if she knew that Almanzo was doing the exact same thing at the same exact time.  Only he was miles away. 

She had known right away that it was meant to be between the two of them as did Almanzo when they first met.  Something always drew them together whether it was a spark or a connection or just a feeling. 

Laura sighed and removed her hand from the windowpane and, with one last look at the window, stood up. She walked to the ladder that connected the loft to the common room downstairs and climbed down.

And that’s when she saw someone standing out the window, her hand on the windowpane, calling out her father’s name.

“Ma?”

Removing her hand from the windowpane, Caroline turned to Laura and smiled.  “I’m worried about them, Laura.  Too much has gone wrong too quickly. “

Laura smiled.  “They’ll be alright, Ma,” she said, rushing into her arms.  “They’ll both be here tomorrow safe and sound, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to deliver something for someone else.”

“I’m not sure, Laura, not with all this wind and rain blocking their way?” Caroline said, looking at her daughter. 

Laura let her go, nodded her head and stared at her.  “That will stop, Ma.  They’ll be here faster than you think.”

And Laura put her arm around her mother as they both walked toward the bedroom that her parent’s shared.  She stayed with her Ma the rest of the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took all morning to change and grease the wheels, deliver the rest of the goods and load the two wagons with two more stops to make on the way home. 

“Almanzo,” Charles said, turning to his son in law.  “Looks like we’re gonna make it home tonight.”

“Looks like,” Almanzo said, nodding his head.  He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. 

“Not that you were bad company, but, well, you know what I mean.”

“I sure do, Pop,” Almanzo said.  “I sure do.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Laura,” Caroline said, as she burst into the schoolhouse.  “They’re on their way home.   They’ll be here tonight.   Jonathan just called me.  They’re going to meet us down at Nellie’s.    We don’t even have to cook.”

Laura smiled and, with her mother still standing there, turned to the children.  “Class dismissed,” she told them.  “See you all tomorrow.   Albert, take care of Carrie.  Grace is with Ma.   Grab a table at Nellie’s.  We’ll meet you there.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Beth, you don’t know how much I missed you,” Almanzo said, cuddling next to Laura.  “You have no idea.  It was pouring rain last night and all I thought of…”

“Was you,” Laura finished.  She smiled and stared back at him.  “I hope you heard me when I called your name because I heard you and…”

Almanzo’s eyes went wide.  He sat up.  “I heard you and I felt your hand press against mine.  I felt it though the window.”  His eyes narrowed.  “You did, didn’t you?  I wasn’t dreaming that was I?”

“Beth,” Laura said, grabbing his hand tightly and looking into his eyes, “My Beth.”

“And you said, ‘I love you, Manly.  I heard it, just as I’m hearing you now. And you put your hand up to the glass and I…”

They stared at each other.  “Oh Beth, “he whispered, gathering her up in his arms. “ I don’t know what it is, but…”

“It’s our eternal flame, Manly.  And it will burn brightly for as long as we’re together. “

 

This story was inspired by the song “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles.   

 

She's Having My Baby A Little House fanfic

 

 She’s Having My Baby

Thoughts from Laura and Almanzo’s POV

 She's Having My Baby

HE

Almanzo was reluctant to go over to his side of the bed. He walked over to Laura’s side, bending down to look at her. They had been married for almost eight months now.  It was then that a feeling came over him, that beautiful feeling of love and tenderness which filled up his heart.  His love for her made him whole, complete.  There wasn’t anyone else in the whole world like Laura and there never would be, not for him anyway. 

He had fallen for her so quickly that it shocked and surprised him.   It was the last thing he ever expected to happen.  He knew he had feelings for her, but he never knew how much until that day he picked her up in Currie after her first week of teaching.  She went from a little schoolgirl to a poised confident young lady. She was not only beautiful, but she was smart and feisty and fun to be with.  She was the only woman who loved horses, knew about farming and was interested in him.  And Laura made him feel confident and comfortable at the same time.  There was nothing he couldn’t do with her around.  Almanzo had no idea where he’d be without her by his side.

He smiled and touched her cheek.  He loved to watch her sleep and this was no exception, but he was really sorry that he hadn’t come upstairs sooner. 

He wanted to apologize for falling asleep downstairs in his chair by the fireplace. Almanzo had spoken to Mr. Anderson at the bank yesterday and he told him everything was perfect now.  He had just paid off  the two new cows that he bought and some chickens.  He had to watch his spending though.  If he skipped a few payments, he might be in trouble, especially if he bought anything new.  That barn was going to have to be patched up again and the house needed some repair work. 

Almanzo never wanted to tell Beth about his money problems   He always relied on credit to carry him through, but she never agreed with him and warned him against doing that.  All due to her father’s experience.  But it was different with Almanzo.   He hadn’t thought twice about it. 

And the only reason that he went to the bank in the first place because of the baby.    And what a shock that had been.   Beth told him yesterday that she was pregnant and he was so excited that he fell through the Ingalls’ roof, literally.  He had no one to blame but himself, actually.  When you’re in the middle of fixing up a barn roof, you shouldn’t be jumping up and down on it, no matter how excited you get. 

 But Almanzo was no worse for the wear and, being a little embarrassed that he had fallen, everything was fine. Oh, he was excited, but in a good way.  He wanted to start a family and he was finally getting his wish. But, first and foremost, he was going to take care of Beth and his new little girl as well.

And he had a funny feeling that’s just how it was going to turn out.  And that wouldn’t be so terrible.  He loved Beth’s little sister Grace.  She was so adorable.   And he knew that if his daughter looked anything like Beth…

But enough of that, he thought, and shook his head to clear it. 

He looked at his wife, bent down and kissed her cheek. He stood up, moved to his side of the bed and climbed in.      

“I love you, Beth,” he whispered, as he lay down next to her.  He inched a little closer, his arms encircling her waist.  And Almanzo stretched out and cuddled into her, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.    

SHE

Laura had woke in the middle of the night and found Manly cuddled next to her, his arms around her waist and sound asleep.   She didn’t want to wake him up; it was very rarely that he slept the whole night through.   She did manage to separate herself from him so that she could visit the outhouse.   She quickly ran down the stairs forgetting that she promised Almanzo she’d be careful.   

 Laura ran up the stairs as fast as she could. When she entered the bedroom they shared, she found him in the same position, closer to her side of the bed than his own.   And as she got closer, Laura noticed how calm and at peace he was, a look of contentment on his face. 

It was only yesterday that she had gone to Doc Baker’s office.  Her stomach was upset; she wasn’t quite sure what it was.   And so, at her Ma’s urging, she had gone and he confirmed what she already suspected.

She was going to have Manly’s baby.

And she realized at that moment how much she loved him, how much she wanted a family and how she couldn’t wait until this baby was born. At first, she wanted to wait, but when she found she was with child, she couldn’t believe how quickly she changed her mind. 

Laura secretly wanted a boy, she was pretty sure that all men wanted a son to carry on the family name.  But last night, before they went to sleep, Almanzo told her that if they had a girl he’d love her just the same.   Oh, he told her, there were plenty of things he could do with a son, but daughters were special.  There was a certain bond between a father and daughter. He saw it within his own family.  But the love he had for Laura and her sisters, well, that was something else again. 

Almanzo’s favorite was Grace, he adored her.  She was so cute with her blond hair and shy ways.  She hardly ever spoke and when she did, you didn’t get much out of her and sometimes you just couldn’t understand a word she said.  Almanzo told her once he couldn’t wait until she was fully grown.  He knew she would be beautiful.

But enough about that, Laura thought as she continued to stare at his face. It was so calm, so serene.  He was so beautiful, inside and outside.  Oh, they had their differences and they had their quarrels, but she was used to that now.  It wasn’t like the fights they had before they were married, who had been right and who had been wrong and who would be the first to give in. 

No, now it didn’t matter who started it, she was the first to end it and he was eager to make up, which he hadn’t been before they married.  And sometimes, Manly surprised her; he’d be the one who gave in. Eliza Jane had been right, at least, about that part. She told Laura to give it time and that Almanzo would come around. He was the peacemaker of the family; she had told her while they were having tea one night.  It was during the short time they had all lived together for three days, right after Laura and Almanzo’s spur of the moment wedding.  There really wasn’t too much that she had in common with Almanzo’s sister, in fact, it was usually touch and go with both of them.  But Almanzo loved Eliza Jane and Laura was determined to make it work.

She smiled, thinking about the first day they met, the love she felt every time in her heart and soul every time she looked into his eyes.  It was hard waiting for him to notice her, but she forced herself to do just that. She always knew that someday she would be Mrs. Laura Ingalls Wilder no matter what came their way.  She had been determined to make Almanzo see her as a woman and her dream came true.  It took a year, one whole year, but she had done it. 

Manly had fallen for for her like a ton of bricks.   And she was determined more than ever to keep him as off balance as possible, even if it would take the rest of their lives.  

Now, as she watched him sleep, she felt certain calm, a certain peace and love she had never felt before.  For the first time in her life, she knew where she was going and who she was going to get there with.  It was a great feeling and it was something she could understand and latch onto.

Laura loved him and she knew she’d be with him forever. 

“Beth?”  She heard him call as he reached out for her. 

“I’m right next to you, Manly,” Laura answered as she took his hand in hers. 

 He squeezed her hand tightly as he opened up his eyes.  He smiled at her and pulled her close.  “Stay with me, Beth.  Please don’t ever leave me.  I need you here with me. “

“For as long as we both shall live?”

Almanzo smiled.  “For as long as we both shall live,” he repeated, looking in her eyes.