Making Up is Fun to Do
by RocknVaughn

-

As her parents quietly let themselves out of the Wilder home, Laura stared at the scuffed toes of her shoes in mortification. Mere moments ago, she'd been ready to pack up her belongings and leave Almanzo forever, believing that he loved another. But in light of the truth, Laura now recognized the grievous error she'd made. All she could do now was hope that her husband would somehow be able to forgive her deplorable behavior.

Laura no longer cared that she looked a mess. Indeed, she felt she deserved that indignity, and then some, for not trusting Almanzo when he'd never given her a reason not to. Raising her eyes to Manly's and finding them without even a hint of anger in them gave her the courage to speak. "How could I have been so stupid?"

Perhaps 24 hours ago Almanzo might have been inclined to agree with Beth's self-assessment…but not anymore. In retrospect, he could easily see how his behavior had led up to where they were now.

He'd been way too hard on Beth. She was as new to being a wife as he was to being a husband. They were still learning how to do this thing called marriage. Combining two lives into one was no easy task and they were bound to make missteps from time to time. By not understanding how pressured Beth felt by trying to juggle her new responsibilities as both wife and teacher, he'd made her feel unimportant and unloved…which was the exact opposite of what he felt.

"I can see how it must have looked…" Almanzo replied quietly, sheet music still clasped in one hand and the neck of his guitar in the other.

Laura knew Manly was giving her an out, letting her know she was already forgiven, but she wasn't ready to be forgiven just yet. First she needed to apologize. "But even so, I should have had more trust in you." She paused, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Almanzo's eyes locked with hers and a hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. Oh, how he loved this woman!

"No forgivings involved," he insisted gently. "It was just a simple misunderstanding...and that's all it was."

Laura sighed and shook her head in self-reproach. "It was all my fault…" she began, but Manly cut her off.

"No, it wasn't," he insisted. "I did a little thinking…and I was pretty rough on you. You had a right bein' mad at me." A tiny smile held his remorse.

"You had every right to be mad at me," Laura countered.

Almanzo stared into the sorrowful eyes of his beautiful young wife and remembered about a million reasons why he loved this smart, dynamic (albeit feisty) woman. His voice was soft and gravelly with emotion. "Well, I'm not mad now."

Laura's eyes glistened with unshed tears. How could she have ever doubted such a wonderful, sweet man? She vowed never to make that mistake again. "Me neither."

They stepped toward each other and embraced. Laura wrapped her arms around Manly's shoulders while he—guitar, music, and all—wrapped his around her waist.

Almanzo couldn't help sighing as he closed his eyes and held Beth close. All was right in the world once more now that Beth was back home. "You're my only love…"

Almanzo felt Beth's smile blossom against his shoulder. "And you're mine," she answered softly; squeezing him even tighter for a moment before loosening their embrace so she could meet his eyes again.

Tentatively, she asked, "Would you promise me something?"

As if he could deny his Beth anything. "Anything," Almanzo vowed.

A teasing lilt shaped Beth's voice as her eyes reflected her amusement. "Promise me you'll never sing that song again…"

Almanzo chuckled at Beth's unexpected request. After all the trouble Brenda Sue's song had caused, he had no more interest in it. That was for sure. "I promise," he vowed, before sweeping her up into another hug.

Laura had no idea how long Manly had held her close, but as he finally loosened his grip and slid her down his front so she could stand firmly on the floor again, she already felt bereft without his arms around her.

Once he'd let Beth go, Almanzo plopped the sheet music onto the table behind her. Then he turned to set his guitar into the chair behind him. He slipped his hand into Beth's tiny one and lightly tugged. "Come on, let's go get you cleaned up," he suggested with a smile.

A blush tinged Laura's cheeks pink. She had quite forgotten just how much of a mess she must look. Self-consciously, she used her free hand to inspect the damage to her hair and wipe the dirt smudges from her face. "Oh, I must look a fright!" she exclaimed with discomfort.

Acutely aware of how embarrassed Beth must feel, Almanzo assured her lightly, "It's nothing a little water and a hairbrush can't fix. Come on." He walked toward the dining room, while Beth allowed him to pull her along behind him.

Almanzo settled Beth into one of the chairs at the table and kept walking, calling over his shoulder as he disappeared into the kitchen, "Be right back." He grabbed a hand towel from the dish strainer and pumped a little water onto it, squeezing the excess into the sink before heading back to the dining room.

Kneeling before Beth, he said, "Here now, just sit still and let me clean off your face."

Laura complied while Manly gently stroked the wet cloth across her forehead, and then down her nose and against her cheeks. Because her eyes were closed, she initially missed the mischievous face her husband made as he said with mock-innocence, "I would have drawn you a bath, but seein' as there's no clean towels…"

An indignant answer immediately bubbled up to Laura's lips, but as soon as she looked at Manly and saw the amusement dancing in his eyes, she knew he was just teasing her…and the impending tirade dissolved into a wide smile. "That's true," she admitted. "Guess I'd have to use a sheet…"

Laughter gave way to desire as Almanzo pictured Beth just out of the tub, her damp body wrapped in nothing but a thin cotton sheet. He felt his face start to flush in response. Clearing his throat self-consciously, he replied, "Guess so…"

Realizing that another problem was growing rapidly, Almanzo set the towel on the table and stood up, turning his body away from Beth. "I'll, uh…go get your hairbrush. Be right back." Almanzo fled the room as fast as his legs could carry him without breaking into a run.

Watching Manly's hasty retreat, Laura had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing out loud. From the way Manly had been blushing, there was no doubt in her mind what was going on inside of his. She enjoyed flustering her sometimes-shy husband, and this time was no exception.

Actually, it was quite inspiring to know that, even in her current state of disrepair, she could still have that effect on him.

-

Almanzo held his breath as he took the stairs two steps at a time. As he stepped inside their bedroom, he closed the door behind him and sagged against it, letting his breath out in one long whoosh. Then he pushed himself away from the door to sit lightly on Laura's quilt spread across their bed.

Granted, Almanzo knew there was nothing at all wrong with feeling attracted to his own wife, but he'd been taken aback by the sudden intensity of it. Besides, he knew that, even though they'd made up, things were still a little shaky between them. He didn't want to risk ruining things by making advances too soon.

Almanzo glanced over toward the currently empty washtub and again felt his cheeks flush as he pictured Laura in it, water lapping up to just under the curve of her shoulders as she lifted her hands to pull the pins from her bun to let her hair cascade down her bare back in a coppery wave…Lord, if he was ever going to get back downstairs, he needed to stop doing that!

Scolding himself under his breath, Almanzo crossed the room and placed both hands into the top of the water pitcher before patting both palms against the sides of his face. Belatedly, he remembered there were still no towels, so he had nothing to dry his face and hands on.

Rolling his eyes, Almanzo dried his face and hands on the bottom edge of his robe, which was still tossed carelessly into the chair in front of Laura's vanity. Then, snatching up the ivory-backed brush and comb he'd bought for her last Christmas, he headed back downstairs.

-

Almanzo rounded the corner into the dining room with a soft smile curving his lips. Whatever 'problems' he'd been having earlier, Laura mused to herself, he seemed back to normal now. As he set her brush and comb onto the table next to her, she asked innocently, "What took you so long?"

Immediately, a flush crept up Manly's cheeks as he stammered, "Uh…uh, nothin', Beth." He walked around her and pulled out the chair from the side of the table to settle himself behind her. "I…uh, just felt like washin' up before I came back down, that's all." He pulled one pin from Beth's already lopsided bun and playfully tugged at a tiny curl at the base of her neck. "Of course…that was before I remembered about the towels…"

Laura bent her head forward and snickered, shivering a little as she felt his breath tickle the sensitive skin at her nape as he laughed with her. Twisting around and placing her hand upon his on her chair back, she said, "I'm really sorry about the towels…"

Manly just lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss upon the soft skin between her fingers and thumb. "'S all right. No harm done. My bathrobe was a good substitute."

Almanzo looked up at Beth over their clasped hands and their eyes met, connected, held. Never letting go of her hand, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Beth's lips. As he pulled back, he felt the warmth of her smile before he saw it and he smiled in response.

"Now, why don't you turn around and let me brush out your hair?" Manly asked, rubbing his knuckles down Beth's cheek.

Laura nodded and, letting go of Manly's hand, turned back around. She closed her eyes as her husband slowly but steadily removed the rest of the pins holding her heavy bun in place. She heard them plink against each other as more of them were added to the growing pile Manly was making on the dining table. Finally, she felt the bun give way and start to slip, but Manly's large hands clasped the ball of hair and instead began to slowly unwind and unroll it.

Almanzo set the last of the pins aside as Beth's hair slipped down from the top of her head. Even in its haphazard, dusty state, her hair was beautiful and soft in his hands. Ever so cautiously, he unwound the twist and feathered his fingers through it, taking care not to cause any snarls as he went. He absolutely loved when she wore her hair down like this, and had often told her so. Still, many nights, he'd lie in bed and surreptitiously watch as Beth would unpin and unroll her hair. There was just something so…sensual about it; something about being the only man who got to see her that way, the only one who got to touch that lovely flow of hair as it fell nearly to her waist. But this? Being able to do it himself instead of watching Beth from afar? This was even better.

Laura's chin fell forward against her chest and she sighed blissfully as Manly's fingers weaved effortlessly through her hair, pulling the strands apart to lie in a great ripple down her back. Day after day, Laura put her hair up in the morning and took it down in the evening. It felt like such a luxury to have someone else do it for a change!

Almanzo reached for the smooth, curved handle of the hairbrush and, starting at the crown of Beth's head, ran the bristles softly down the entire length of her hair. He grinned as he watched the waves at the end stretch and then spring back in tiny coils at the ends of her hair. Again and again he ran the bristles through, brushing along each side of her head until the whole length shone as one in the late afternoon sun.

Setting the brush aside, Almanzo instead threaded his hands through her hair and under it to knead the tense muscles of Beth's shoulders. She let out a long, blissful sigh in response and slid lower in the chair. Taking this as a sign that Beth was now calmer and more relaxed, Almanzo leaned forward, pressed a kiss to her hair just above her left ear and asked softly, "So…you want to tell me what happened?"

Laura leaned forward so that her hair would shield her face as it flamed pink with embarrassment. In a tiny voice, she replied, "Not really…"

Almanzo smiled and he encouraged, "Come on, Beth…it can't be that bad…"

Oh, yes it can…Laura thought in reply. For Manly, she just shook her head.

But Almanzo wasn't going to take no for an answer. Instead, he stood and walked around to crouch down in front of Beth, using his hand to tilt her chin up. "Tell me," he urged gently.

Laura closed her eyes for a long ashamed moment before locking her brown eyes with her husband's blue ones. Letting out a long sigh, she said, "Well, I might as well, seeing as I'm sure it'll be the talk of the town by tomorrow…" Her eyes fell to her lap, staring at her twisting hands.

Almanzo grabbed another chair and pulled it up so that he could sit in front of Beth, knees splayed outward to encompass hers as he reached forward to push some of her hair out of her eyes and tuck it safely behind her ear. "Aw, Beth...come on now, you can tell me..."

One corner of Laura's mouth turned up in a wry smile as she began. "I sort of...ran into Brenda Sue in town today…"

Almanzo struggled to hold back a smile, for he could only imagine what his fiery wife might have done next. "Uh, huh…" he soothingly prompted, reaching out to hold one of Beth's hands in his and rub circles into her skin.

"Well…one thing led to another, and…"

"Yes?"

"I kind of…attacked her…in the middle of the street." Laura bent her head forward, shamed for what she'd done.

Both of Almanzo's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"

"Well, you have to understand, Manly…" Laura said in a rushed breath, suddenly wanting to make her husband appreciate why she'd done such a thing. "I thought she'd just admitted to you two having an affair…of course I was angry!"

Now Almanzo did smile as he pulled Beth onto his lap and into his embrace. "Shh, now…it's all right," he soothed as he stroked his hand down her back again and again. But after a minute, he just had to ask, "Right in the middle of the street?"

Beth pulled back so he could see her face, but she wouldn't look him in the eye. "Yes…in front of the kids from school, Nellie, my mother…everyone. Ma had to break it up."

Almanzo pulled her back against him. "Aw, honey…" He held her close to him, dropping a kiss onto her forehead. "It's okay…"

Against his chest, he heard a suspicious sniffle before Beth mumbled, "Well, I don't think Brenda Sue thought so…"

Laughter rumbled in his chest as Almanzo replied, "No, she probably didn't…"

Laura sat back and slapped Almanzo on the shoulder. "Almanzo Wilder…this is not funny!"

Immediately, Almanzo schooled his features so he looked more sober. "Sorry, darlin'."

Laura leaned back again, and this time she did meet Manly's eyes. "Do you think you can forgive me for acting so childish?"

"Of course I can," he replied reasonably before dropping a peck onto her lips. After a moment of holding Beth close, Almanzo admitted quietly in her ear, "I think I'd have liked to've seen that...even if it was wrong."

Beth's chuckle resonated against his shoulder. "Manly!" she scolded, but by her tone he knew she didn't really mean it.

"Well, I saw what you did to Nellie Oleson that time by the waterin' hole, so I can only imagine what Brenda Sue got…"

A drop of humble pride settled into Laura's voice as she admitted, "Yeah, I gave it to her pretty good."

"I'll bet you did," Almanzo agreed, his hands stroking his wife's back in small circles. He brushed a ghostly kiss against Beth's temple before scattering kisses across her face and cheeks before settling his lips against hers.

Beth gladly wrapped both arms around Manly's neck and fell into his kiss. She was just so happy to have him back, even though in reality it had only been in her imagination that she'd ever lost him.

Responding to Beth's embrace, Almanzo wrapped his arms tightly around her back, pressing their chests together as he buried his fingers in the silky length of her free hair.

Many heated kisses later; Laura pulled back and rested her forehead against Manly's as they both fought to catch their breath. Still sounding slightly winded, Laura asked her husband, "Are you hungry? Want me to make some dinner?"

Almanzo buried his nose in Beth's hair, taking a deep breath before brushing his lips against the soft curve of her neck. His deep voice sounded hoarse as he confessed, "Mmmm, I'm hungry all right…I just can't say that it's food I'm hungry for…"

As soon as the words left his lips, Almanzo could have kicked himself for admitting it. Granted, that was exactly how he felt, but he still didn't want to rush Laura into something she might not want quite yet.

But he needn't have worried. Pulling her face back so she could meet Manly's eyes, Laura's face fairly glowed. She leaned in to just a hairsbreadth away from his lips and then mouthed against them, just above a whisper, "Race you upstairs…" and then she sprang up from his lap and bolted for the parlor before Manly had even had time to process what she'd said.

Laura was already at the staircase by the time Almanzo got up to chase her. In his haste, he bumped into the table in the parlor and had to steady the vase on it before racing up the stairs on Beth's heels. He finally caught up to her just as she'd wrenched the bedroom door open, swinging her still running legs up off the floor, causing Beth to squeal with delighted laughter. Then backing up, he collapsed backward onto the bed, bringing Beth down with him, landing squarely on his chest above him.

Almanzo slid both hands into Beth's auburn hair at each side of her face, holding the sheet of it back as he pulled her down for another kiss. But after a moment, the kiss deteriorated into snorting laughter.

Laura leaned up on one elbow and looked down at her husband. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Laura…" Manly gasped between breaths, "but just the thought of you and Brenda Sue…" The rest of his sentence was lost in another fit of belly-holding hilarity.

Laura sat up in Manly's lap and crossed both arms across her chest belligerently. "It is not funny!"

Still chuckling, Almanzo simply grabbed Laura by the arms and rolled them both over, pinning her underneath him. Then he leaned over and stared at Beth pointedly with an expression that clearly said 'You've got to be kidding me...' until Beth gave in and began to giggle. "Okay…" she admitted, "maybe it's a little funny…"

"I can't help but thinkin' that this kinda makes us even…" Almanzo said, stroking his hand against the side of Beth's face.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"Well, you know…" Almanzo explained, "You with Brenda Sue…me with Chad Brewster…It kinda makes us even."

Laura smiled, following Manly's logic. "Yeah, I guess it does…"

"So, do you think we're done bein' jealous then?" Almanzo asked with a smile.

"I hope so," Laura admitted. "It's awfully tiring!"

Desire glittered in Manly's eyes, making his deep blue eyes seem even darker. "Hopefully not too tiring…"

Laura giggled with glee and buried her face in Manly's neck before proceeding to show him just how not tired she was.

-

Almanzo stirred from his dozing as Laura sat up, pulling the sheet up with her. In the deepening shadows of early evening, it was hard to see more than an outline of his wife. "Hey," he whispered, reaching out his hand to stroke down the expanse of Beth's bare back, "where're you goin'?"

Laura turned back to smile at her drowsy husband. "Well, you might have been sleeping, Manly, but trust me, your stomach has been complaining about how hungry it is! So I thought I'd make us at least some kind of dinner." She leaned over and ran a hand down his bare chest.

As if on cue, Almanzo's stomach growled, the sound unnaturally loud in the dim room. "Well, I guess so," Almanzo agreed, once he'd stopped laughing.

"And don't forget, you still have chores to do," Laura primly reminded her husband.

"Yeah…" Letting out a deep sigh, Almanzo sat up, leaning his weight on his elbow as his other hand played with a stray curl of Beth's long hair. He'd much rather linger here with his lovely wife, but he knew Laura was right.

"Besides…" Beth said playfully, sliding back down to rest her head on one hand, facing Manly in the bed, "it seems we're out of towels…I thought I might get around to that…" She placed a hand on his arm and rocked him toward her so she could kiss him.

After a moment, they parted. Then, Laura gasped, sitting upright suddenly.

Immediately Almanzo sat up next to his wife, alarmed. "What? What is it?"

Beth shook her head. "Oh, nothing…I just realized I still have a lesson to plan for tomorrow, too…" She let out a long, wistful groan in the near darkness.

Almanzo ran a sympathetic hand down Beth's back. He thought about how he'd reacted in the past, how insensitive he'd been, and decided right there and then that he would try to change. Leaning close, he asked hesitantly, "Well…would you like some help?" Without giving Beth a chance to reply, he nervously stammered on, "I mean, I know I can't cook, and I don't know as I've ever done laundry before, and I wouldn't know my way around a history book if it bit me, but…"

Even in the shadows, Almanzo could see Laura's beaming smile before she dissolved into delighted laughter and he knew instantly that his effort had been worth it.

Beth impulsively threw her arms around her husband's neck. What an absolutely sweet, adorable man she was married to! "Oh, Manly…" she breathed, "I'd love it!"

-end-