Author's Note: Once again, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my story. Your comments, feedback, and support mean a lot to me. As I mentioned in the first chapter's Author's Notes, I began writing this story as a sort of therapy. Knowing that I am bringing smiles to people's faces really makes posting this worthwhile. :)

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Claire sprung out of bed early the next morning in anticipation of the full day head. Her rucksack was overstuffed with seeds, and as she shuffled the heavy pack on her shoulders and looked out at her field, she was a little startled when she felt a different kind of weight hit her.

This was it. She had spent everything on seeds. The farmer had no back-up plan; this season things would change, for better or for worse. She had passed the point of no return; her only spare money had been set aside for her mortgage payments. The farmer had no choice but to succeed… Claire bit her lip as she shook her head. That wasn't the way to think of it.

You'll be the best farmer around here before you know it! Her friend's voice echoed in her head and she grinned as she remembered his earnest blue eyes.

Claire could see Karen's confident smirk in her mind. She's going all in with her savings…

The farmer found a smug smile spreading across her own face. She was risking it all, and she was going to surprise everyone. This season, she was going to have a successful farm and start fixing things around the house. Claire's introduction to Pete had been motivating to her as well; she was eager to show everyone what she could do. She wasn't a helpless city girl; she was a farmer. Or at least she would be by the end of this season.

It was just after five in the morning. The dew on the grass was already starting to evaporate into fog. It was just as the weather forecast had predicted; Claire could tell it was going to be a hot one today. In anticipation of this, Karen had invited her and Cliff to Kai's place for some snow cones before he closed for the afternoon.

The farmer had insisted on staying on the farm to work all day – she was eager to get everything into the ground. However, Karen had been very adamant that Claire take a break. After a mild argument, the farmer had begrudgingly agreed. After all, the grocer's daughter offered to pay for both friends' treats. She would go right back to work after her snow cone, Claire had demanded, and to her surprise, Karen had stepped down, allowing her to continue her work as long as she spent some time with them this afternoon out of the heat.

The morning temperatures were pleasant. The young woman worked swiftly, not taking any breaks, planting seeds where the ground was already tilled. She had studied her blueprints the night before so that she could focus on getting the seeds planted and watered. Claire finished burying some corn seeds and took her kerchief out of her pocket to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her eyes moved back to her bulging rucksack; she quickly realized that she had purchased more seeds than she had tilled land to accommodate them. Claire let out a tired sigh and leaned on her hoe, weakly fanning herself with her hand. There was no sense getting annoyed about it; she grabbed her tool in her shaking hands and set to work, making more room for her unplanted seeds.

The sun was high in the sky as Claire panted, striking the dry dirt with her hoe. Sweat dripped into her eyes and burned; the frustrated farmer rolled up her sleeves and tied her kerchief into a makeshift sweatband and set back to work, trying her best to ignore the discomfort of moving around in sweat-drenched clothes. She was getting tired already, but she knew the earlier she planted the seeds, the sooner she would have her crops. She used this as motivation.

It was well after noon by the time she finished plowing. Karen was just going to have to wait, Claire reasoned as she caught her second wind. After all, the grocer's daughter knew that Claire had purchased all of those seeds. Both friends had warned her about going overboard, but Claire was eager to impress them. She had forgotten hours ago how thirsty she was. She kept her focus on the snow cones and worked like a machine. Now that her clothes had dried, it should be easier to move around, Claire reasoned. So why was it getting harder?

She carried her full watering can carefully despite her trembling. If she was going to do this as fast as possible, she was not going to waste any water. She looked jealously at the wet ground and quickly shoved the thought out of her head. If you take a break, you won't want to start up again. You're not even sweating anymore and you're already halfway done, she cheered herself on weakly, don't even look at the clock. Her whole body felt light as she wobbled back to her fields from the watering hole. Before she knew it, she would be sitting on the beach munching on a snow cone with Karen on one side and Cliff on the other.

It will be worth it, she reminded herself. They'll be so proud… Everyone will be… Maybe even Gray, too... The watering can got heavier each time she had to refill it. Her whole world began to rock back and forth. Just a bit longer…

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Karen shaded her eyes as she peeked up at the sun blazing in the middle of the afternoon sky. She looked around her, blinking. It was getting really hot, and she wished they had worn swimsuits.

Karen and Cliff had met at the beach early afternoon. They had sat under an umbrella waiting for their friend for quite some time. It wasn't long before Karen had shed her purple vest, griping about the heat. Her incessant complaining of her discomfort caused Cliff to cast aside his warm tunic and he now stood at the surf in a simple cotton undershirt, mindlessly skipping rocks into the water.

"I don't mind waiting out here for Claire if you want to go in to cool off," The young man volunteered, tossing a stone into the waves and giving a satisfied nod when he got four skips out of it.

"If she's out working in the heat, I hardly feel right going inside where there's air conditioning," Karen retorted, wiping the sweat from her brow. She kicked at the sand with her boot, cursing the blistering heat of the sun.

Cliff whirled around and stared at her, his thick brows furrowed in worry. "Y-You don't think she's still out there, d-do you? She's been a while, don't you think…?"

Karen felt her stomach drop; she had been so preoccupied with staying cool herself that she hadn't given much thought to how their mutual friend was handling the heat.

"I told her to take it easy… Sh-She's gotta be in her house, cooling off… Maybe freshening up before coming to meet us…" His voice trailed off as he dropped the stone in his hand. "… R-Right?"

Karen said nothing in reply, but dashed to the beach shack.

"Kai!"

"What's wrong?" The proprietor looked up from wiping down a tabletop. "I was just about to lock up. You want something?"

"What time is it?" She demanded, swinging the door open so violently the cowbell on the knob made a single clank.

Kai stared at his watch. "Uh… it's half past one," he replied, looking up at her. "I'm locking up; I thought you guys were going to come in to buy something." His smile faded when he saw the expression on the young woman's face. "… Karen?"

She broke into a run as she grabbed their garments, tucking them under her arm. "Cliff, it's 1:30!" Karen yelled out at the waves. She didn't wait for a response from her friend, she stumbled across the sand, her stomach churning and her heart racing; something wasn't right. Claire was never late, and she had bought an awful lot of seeds…

To her surprise, Cliff passed her up the stairs and silently extended a hand to her. She took it and they ran along the cobblestone streets together toward the farm. His legs weren't much longer than hers, but Karen found that she was still struggling to catch her breath; she had no idea the young man could run so quickly. And she used to tease Rick for not being able to catch her… Karen was grateful that Cliff was pulling her along because the buildings were becoming a blur to her, but she just wished he would slow down a bit. She couldn't get the words out of her mouth and her heart was hammering in her chest; her body wasn't used to this. It was quite apparent she wasn't the only one concerned about the farmer.

Karen's breath escaped her as they reached Mystic Acres Property. She had to stop for a moment to inhale; her entire body was pulsating as blood pumped loudly in her ears and her lungs were burning. "Wh-Where…?"

The young woman's bleary eyes locked onto something blue. She dropped the bundle of clothing at her feet and sunk to her knees, struggling for air.

Claire's overalls.

Claire.

The brunette sprung to life and wildly threw herself in the direction of the farmer, stumbling across the freshly tilled earth. The young woman was sitting silently in a slouched position in front of a pile of dirt, leaning over her watering can, her blonde hair splayed about. The young man was already at her side with an arm around her shoulders, gently nudging her, attempting to speak to her calmly.

"Claire! Claire!" Karen slid in the dirt as she threw herself down on her knees and slapped her friend's cheeks, blinking away tears. She shook the blonde only to realize the farmer had turned into a rag doll.

The farmer made no response.

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Author's Note: I told you things would get hot. Haha, do you all feel tricked? Fear not, dear readers, a WHOLE lot of drama is brewing.