When Dreams come true
It was already midnight when Laura was sitting in the rocking chair, trying to read a book. Usually she loved reading, but it had been a long day, and she was too tired to concentrate. Besides that too many things were on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about Barnum, Almanzo's injured horse. His selfish brother Perley Day had nearly crippled the poor animal and Laura was still shocked at the recklessness of this young man. She hoped that her father and Almanzo would find a way to save Barnum.
With every minute that passed, Laura's eyelids felt heavier, but she knew that she couldn't go to bed now. She had promised her father and Almanzo she would bring them some fresh coffee every hour and that's why she had to stay awake. Laura knew this was her chance to show Almanzo that she wasn't a little girl anymore. She wanted to convince him that she could stay up all night to help him. She wanted to convince him that she was a grown up woman now. Laura forced herself to get up and walked slowly to the kitchen stove. While she was filling some water into a pot, she could hear her mother's voice.
"Laura, you're looking so tired. Don't you think it's time for bed? I can do that," Caroline said and opened the tin with the coffee.
"No, Ma," Laura answered. "I can't go to bed now. I wanna help Almanzo."
"I know," Caroline smiled at her daughter, "but let me help you with the coffee."
"Alright," Laura said thankfully.
Some minutes later the coffee was ready. Laura pulled a scarf around her shoulders, grabbed the hot coffee pot and left the little house. When she stepped out into the darkness, a cold breeze blew through her hair, but the crisp air helped her to handle the tiredness. Laura looked into the sky. It was a clear night, and she could see the moon and the sparkling stars. She wished she could gaze them together with Almanzo. On her way to the barn she saw a man standing in front of the door, and she recognized Almanzo. It seemed that he looked into the beautiful sky, too. Laura's heart started beating faster. She hoped he would pull her into his arms to stargaze together, but she knew it was just a dream. Laura sighed and tried to push her romantic thoughts away. The hot coffee pot in her hand reminded her why she was outside at that late hour, and so she walked up to Almanzo to serve him some coffee.
"Hey Manly," Laura said as she arrived at the barn.
"Hey Beth," he whispered to her. "Your father is sleeping. He was so tired. I think a little nap will do him good."
Laura turned her head and peeked into the barn, where she could see her father sleeping in the hay. He didn't look like he would wake up soon. When she realized that she was alone with Almanzo, she started shivering, but in a wonderful way.
"I guess you're tired too," Laura looked at Almanzo and smiled. "Would you like some fresh coffee?"
"Sure," he smiled back at her.
Laura filled Almanzo's cup with coffee, and he drank it immediately.
"Now I'm feeling much better," he said and put his cup away, "but I think I could use some fresh air. Would you like to go for a walk with me?"
"Yes," Laura answered eagerly. She tiptoed into the barn to place the coffee pot onto the board, and then she crept away as silent as she could.
Laura couldn't remember how long she had waited for a chance like that. Walking in the moonlight together with Almanzo was one of her sweetest dreams since that day she had met him for the first time. She wished she could tell Almanzo how much she loved him. She wished he would tell her that he loved her, too. She wished he would kiss her under the beautiful starry sky, but she forced herself to stop dreaming. All Almanzo wanted was some fresh air that helped him to stay awake and Laura knew she had to accept that for now. After a little while she looked at Almanzo, who was walking next to her, and she could see from his face that he was very concerned. Laura hoped she could comfort him a bit.
"Manly," Laura started saying carefully, "I know that you're afraid, but I'm sure Barnum will be alright again." It was hard for her to see the man she loved in such a desperate situation.
"I hope you're right, Beth," Almanzo said. "It's just..." he became silent and stared to the ground.
"What?" Laura asked him.
"Nothing. It's stupid," he answered her.
"Manly, I'm sure it isn't stupid. You can tell me," Laura tried to encourage him. She hoped he would tell her about his feelings. She wanted to be the one person he trusted enough to open his heart.
"Well, I grew up with horses and love them since my early childhood. They are very special animals to me," Almanzo explained, but hesitated to keep on talking.
"Same with me," Laura answered. "I love horses, too."
"I know, Beth," he said silently and looked to the ground. "I'm just afraid Barnum will never be the same again. You know, he's more than a horse to me. He's like a friend."
"I know, Manly, and I understand," Laura said sympathetically and touched his arm softly.
"I knew you would understand," Almanzo smiled at her.
They stopped talking for a moment and looked both into the sky. Laura had to think about Bunny. It was years ago that she had lost her beloved horse, but it still hurt her and suddenly she felt the need to tell Almanzo.
"Manly, there is something I haven't talked about for a long time," Laura swallowed and could feel the lump in her throat. "I had a horse once. Her name was Bunny. I loved her, and she was like a friend to me, too."
"What happened to her?" Almanzo asked. He was now standing in front of Laura, looking into her eyes.
"She had a very bad accident. She ran into a barbed wire fence and got hurt so much that my Pa had to shoot her," Laura's voice quavered and tears welled in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Beth. I didn't know," Almanzo said softly.
"It's alright," Laura whispered.
Suddenly she could feel her scarf sliding down to the ground. She tried to grab it, but Almanzo preempted her. He pulled the scarf around Laura's shoulders again and while doing it, he touched her so gently that she felt a warmth engulfing her whole body. She looked at him and he looked at her. Their eyes locked and Laura could feel Almanzo's warm hand caressing her cheek. For a moment it seemed to Laura that his face came closer to hers, but then she could hear her father's voice.
"Almanzo?" Charles yelled.
Almanzo took a step back and sighed silently. "I better go back," he said to Laura. "Probably your father needs my help. Besides, it's getting cold. You should go back into the house, Beth," he smiled at her and started heading towards the barn.
Laura wasn't able to answer. She gazed after Almanzo until she couldn't see him anymore. She felt like she was dreaming, but the cold wind reminded her that she was still awake. Almanzo had looked at her in a way he had never done before. She could feel that something had happened between them, but she wasn't sure what to do now. Laura decided to go back into the house. When she entered the room, it seemed that even her mother was sleeping now. She sat down in the rocking chair and relived the last minutes over and over again. She couldn't stop thinking about Almanzo, and she asked herself what would have happened if her father hadn't interrupted them. Laura closed her eyes and started dreaming up, but she was so tired that she fell asleep soon.
Meanwhile, Charles and Almanzo were busy with preparing a new cool pack for Barnum's leg. Unfortunately it was still swollen, but cooling and waiting was all they could do. After Almanzo filled some cold water in a bucket and handed it to Charles, he sat down and drank some coffee.
"The coffee is still hot," Almanzo said to Charles. "Would you like to have another cup?"
"No, thanks. I've had so much coffee that I can probably stay awake for a whole week," Charles joked. "But I'm starving. Maybe you could go into the house and ask Laura for some bread? I want to finish this first," he pointed at Barnum's leg.
"Sure," Almanzo answered and left the barn.
When he arrived at the little house, he knocked softly at the door. He waited for a moment, but nobody opened, and he couldn't hear a sound. Almanzo wasn't sure what to do. He knocked again, this time a bit louder, but nothing happened. He hesitated for a while, but then he opened the door as careful as he could and stepped into the house. Almanzo could see Laura sitting in the rocking chair. When he realized that she was sleeping, a smile came up to his face. He walked silently into the kitchen and took the bread, but on his way back he stopped. He grabbed the blanket next to Laura and covered her with it. Without thinking Almanzo bent down to Laura and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
"Goodnight, Beth," he whispered and smiled at her.
When he left the house, she was still sleeping peacefully.
Laura woke up when the first rays of sunshine peeked through the window. She stretched her arms and wondered why she was covered with a blanket. She was sure she had forgotten to do that. Suddenly she remembered a dream that she had last night. Almanzo came into the house, covered her with the blanket and kissed her goodnight. Laura was confused. In her thoughts it seemed so real. She could still feel his warm lips on her cheek, but it was just a dream, she reassured herself, or wasn't it?