Author's Note: Just a quick heads up that there are brief mentions of past sexual assault in this chapter.

Claire was blinking the sweat from her eyes as she heard the sound of Zack's tractor pulling up with the cart. She wiped her brow with a dirty arm, leaving a streak across her forehead. Despite her fatigue, a happy grin spread across her face as she rested her pitchfork across her shoulders and walked over to meet him.

Her eyes darted toward her overflowing shipping bin. She had been working since early that morning, only taking breaks for food and water. It had been her busiest day this season, and she was reminded of her hectic summer. She had learned the hard way to take care of her body as she worked; the long, grueling summer days of tomato harvests had taught her that pushing herself too much wasn't worth it in the long run. She looked at the dirty sweet potatoes with a tired smile – Rick had been correct – the Tomato Tube was still proving its usefulness outside of summer. Maybe she could have done more, but she hadn't worked herself to exhaustion, and she was ready to do some more tomorrow.

"I'm really glad to see you," Claire said with a laugh. "I hope you're in the mood for sweet potatoes."

At her final words, she saw the smile drop from his face. Zack's eyebrows furrowed and he gave her a concerned look. "Ah, you got anything else in there? The boy from Forget-Me-Not just shipped out a ton yesterday. The market's flooded right now. The most I could give ya is five gold per kilo, and I can't guarantee I'll even be able to sell them."

The young woman blinked, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy. She removed the pitchfork from her shoulders and poked it into the soft earth beneath her, leaning on it a bit to brace herself.

"B-but this never happened with my tomatoes…"

"You have to understand. When Pete goes all out on something, he's in a class of his own. Folks in the Valley joke that he has godlike powers with the soil… The boy's a genius."

Claire felt her heart drop.

Zack realized his words may have belittled her own farm. "Well, the way Lillia was goin' on about the spinach of yours she bought off of Jeff… I assumed you were going to focus on that for the season," he supplied.

He would gush about Lillia, wouldn't he? Doesn't he have any idea how I feel?

Claire stared out at her fields, her blood boiling. She clenched her jaw. "Does… it look like I'm growing a bunch of spinach out there?" Her voice was dangerously quiet.

There were a few plots among the bell peppers, but it was nothing compared to the sweet potatoes that were yet to be harvested. "I suppose not." His voice was apologetic. "You might want to collaborate with the farms in the area next time. Everyone knows Vesta does a large eggplant crop every season. Pick something you want to specialize in and let them know so something like this doesn't happen."

Ashamed at her blunt words, Claire hung her head, frustrated that a couple of fat tears tumbled out of her eyes. "Wh-what would you suggest I do from here?" She tried to keep her voice level, a bit afraid she had scared him away from advising her further.

He scratched his chin, averting his eyes out of politeness. "You, uh…. you could see if someone in town has a use for some sweet potatoes…"

Go door-to-door selling sweet potatoes?

She bit her tongue.

"You could try selling some to Doug or Jeff and Sasha directly. You should be able to get a better price than what I can give you right now."

Claire looked at her fields. If they agreed to buy, it would probably only take care of a fraction of the sweet potatoes she had grown. She knew that her crops were regularly shipped to different towns. If Pete had already provided for everyone else, where did that leave her? While Zack's idea was better than nothing, panic began to settle in her heart.

Winter is coming and I am not ready. How am I supposed to support myself now? Heating bills, food, supplies for next season…

"I-I was planning on selling these to pay my m-mortgage…" Her voice quavered as her eyes moved to the ground. "I'll..." She froze and swallowed the lump in her throat. It wasn't as if she was the first person to come upon hardship. She thought of Cliff, selling withered blueberries and washing dishes at Ann's. This was no time to be giving up. Letting out a small breath, she continued. "I'll need to be creative, I suppose… I'm… I'm sorry for snapping at you, Zack. I appreciate the suggestions."

He shook his head, awkwardly rubbing the crook of his neck. "S'alright. I understand it can be frustrating. You're still a beginner, after all. The people in this town have a way of looking after each other. I'm sure if you tell Doug, Sasha, and Jeff what's going on, they'd be more than happy to buy some of your produce."

He's right – some, not all… I need to sell all of it in order to pay my bills and live through the winter…

Stop it, Claire! He's trying to help! This isn't his fault; stop acting like it is!

"Y-yeah… I'll have a small batch of bell peppers and spinach ready before the season's over…"

"I can take those off of your hands with no problem."

She gave a slight nod, frustrated at the lump forming in her throat. "I think I'll hold off on giving you these sweet potatoes, then. I'll see what I can do with them."

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Keep your chin up. Things will work out. If I find any leads, I'll let you know."

She knew it wasn't his problem and part of her worried if she had guilted him into offering. "Thank you, Zack. I just need to stay positive."

As she waved goodbye to him and watched his cart drive off, she set her pitchfork against the side of the house and removed her dirty work gloves before entering.

She stumbled inside, not bothering to take off her boots. Surprisingly, tears refused to come. She sunk onto her bed with a heavy sigh, her mind buzzing with thoughts.

Am I in danger of losing this house? What will happen if I can't make my payments? I'll have taxes to pay this winter, too… I was foolish, not even considering what everyone else is growing. Pete's really that much better than me… He can flood a market… My sweet potatoes probably look like a tiny pile compared to his… No one ever asked me what I'm growing… I guess I'm not much competition… Who am I kidding, anyway? What gave me the thought I could farm? Maybe this was all just a big mistake…

She could still hear Cliff's warm voice as they stood on her property the day before. His arms were around her and the happiness on his face made her heart throb.

"I think… as long as I'm here and have you, I'll be more than content."

That's right… I have a partner now. A lover…

It still surprised her a bit, but the notion provided her with a bit of comfort and a bit of a thrill. It was a nice momentary distraction. She could still feel his warm hands in hers, his tight embrace… Her cheeks warmed as she reached for the pendant around her neck. Her fingers slid across the stone, tracing the etchings. The thought that he had carved them himself still caused her heart to swell. It wasn't a dream – her romantic feelings for him were returned.

Determined not to fly into a panic attack, she allowed herself to think about him for a while. She got lost in a daydream of their previous day together, her hands gravitating over her heart as she relived his affection. He wasn't the only one who thought of her fondly, she realized hazily. She remembered Karen's fierce pride in her at the Harvest Festival and her protective manner as they walked through the crowd.

Claire sat up, a frown on her lips. She wasn't alone; she never had been. There were always people who were looking out for her and cheering for her to succeed.

Ann raved about the fresher produce she got to cook with. Thomas beamed with pride when he presented her to the crowd at the Harvest Festival. Popuri and Rick admired what she had been able to accomplish on her own. It wasn't just them – the whole town seemed to be rooting for her, whether she realized it or not.

"I… I have to try." Her voice was scarcely above a whisper.

Claire stared at her reflection in concentration as she tied her hair back in a ponytail.

You're not going to make them pity you. They don't need to know about your mortgage sob story.

She pulled her sweatshirt over her head.

They're going to buy from you because they want what you grew – plain and simple.

Her eyes traveled to the assorted library books she had been researching that afternoon.

They will have a use for them. It's not charity.

Her sale earlier that day to Sasha and Jeff had been semi-encouraging. While they were eager to purchase her sweet potatoes directly and they paid her decently by the kilogram, they didn't buy as much as she had originally hoped. Still, she learned that by cutting out Zack, who acted as a middleman, she was able to get more for her produce than she normally would have. As an added bonus, Sasha and Jeff got their stock for a lower price than Zack offered.

"You don't have to promise you will do this every season," Jeff told her with a knowing smile. "There's no need to bring us weekly shipments if you get overwhelmed in future seasons."

They had arranged to purchase sweet potatoes for as long as she had them. Although that would not take care of her entire supply that she had harvested and that still remained, it was a start.

She walked down the cobblestone path with her posture straightened, determined to give an air of confidence. Enough salespeople had visited her office enough in the city for her to know that looking capable was one of the biggest parts of making an impression. Her confident gait was short-lived, however; upon arriving at Barley's she saw the old man and his granddaughter playing with a baby lamb in front of the farmhouse. A smile crept across her mouth as he caught sight of her and gestured for her to join them.

"Remember Marshmallow?" May was petting the lamb's soft fleece. "Grandpa gave her a checkup today. It was like a trip to see the doctor!"

"That's right. Little lambs and little girls both need to take care of themselves." Barley gave her a smile and a welcoming nod to Claire.

May turned toward the farmer. "She did A-okay!" The little girl gave her a thumbs-up and attempted to wink, blinking very hard instead. "Someday I might be a doctor for the sheep. Or maybe I'll drive Mr. Zack's cart around instead! He let me ride with him yesterday! We went alllll the way to the Valley," she sang, twirling in a circle.

Claire saw Barley's strained smile in the corner of her vision. "Grandpa's glad you two had a good time, May."

She wasn't ready to stop talking about her experience. "He picked up a bunch of fruits from the farm over there and he gave me a shiny red apple…"

Claire felt her stomach sink.

Pete's got an orchard, too? How am I supposed to compete?

"It was really tasty and he let me honk the horn on the way home!" May looked over at Claire. "You know what? I think he would make a good father." She gave a very authoritative nod that reminded Claire of something Sasha or Anna would do.

The facial expressions Barley made were hard to ignore. His smile was very sad as he hastily brushed away a couple of tears. He let out a soft chuckle that held no humor. "I think…" He adjusted the glasses on his nose and forced a smile on his face. "I think Claire has something she'd like to talk to us about."

She gulped, remembering to straighten her posture. "I, uh, actually was coming for a business call."

His eyes lit up. "Lookin' to add a new cow or sheep to your farm?"

She laughed nervously. "Ah, not exactly. I grew some sweet potatoes on my farm. Zack told me the market was flooded and suggested I try seeing if anyone around has a use for them."

His bushy white eyebrows furrowed. "That's… mighty swell of him actually…"

"Yes," she agreed. "It's not in his best interest to turn away business like that, but he was very kind to me when I panicked and wasn't sure what to do." She gave him a nod. Claire licked her lips, realizing that her entire mouth felt dry. She wiped her sweaty palms off on her jeans. "But, I came to you today because I was doing some research and saw that cows can eat sweet potatoes. Would you consider buying some as feed?"

He gave her a sympathetic look. If she really was offering her prized sweet potatoes that should be on grocery shelves as animal feed, she surely must be in a bind financially. "Did he send you my way?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head. "I-I just thought that they might be useful to you," she replied lamely, quickly wondering if her choice to call on his farm was a bit too far-fetched.

The old man looked out at his cows in the pasture. Winter would be arriving soon, and the time to graze was coming to an end. "A change of feed might be nice for them," he considered, scratching his chin. "But, it's really something I'd use more sparingly. You see, the sugar in them can be bad for their teeth if I feed them too much…" He saw her lips tighten into a thin line as she held onto his every word. He lightened up his expression. "Let's go inside and talk business numbers, shall we?"

A wave of relief spread over her as he put the lamb in the pen and led the way to the house, May skipping behind as she provided entertainment in the form of a song about sweet potato pie.

Barley offered Claire a seat at his table when May piped up, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Grandpa, if we get sweet potatoes, can we make a pie together?" It hadn't been hard to tell what was on her mind.

"Of course. Why don't you go draw me a picture of what it will look like?"

Her eyes lit up as she bounced upstairs in excitement, continuing her song. Claire watched her with a smile and a slight giggle.

"May seems especially happy lately."

She could see the worry lines on Barley's forehead. After mentioning his situation to the local priest, Carter had suggested that Barley find someone he could talk openly and honestly about the situation. Claire was not his original choice, but someone so young and new to Mineral Town might be less quick to judge, and something about her desperate air regarding the sweet potatoes made him feel that he could lean on her as well. He didn't have time to contemplate what to say, as the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I can't help but wonder if it's because she is seeing her father more often now."

Claire thought of May's stories about riding Zack's cart. "Her father…"

Tears were streaming down the old man's face and he fished a handkerchief from his pocket. Regret hit him and suddenly the idea of telling her his predicament felt like too much too soon. "Forgive me, Claire. It's not fair for me to drag you into something like this…" Ideally, he would have liked to open up to his good friend Saibara about this, but he would more than likely be given unsolicited advice, something he didn't feel quite ready for just yet. Still, he looked beyond his handkerchief, waiting for some kind of response from his companion.

Memories of a tearful May came to mind as Claire tried to become more comfortable in her seat. The little girl had seemed heartbroken that her mother wouldn't come home. She could still remember May's meltdown, sobbing that if she had been a better daughter this wouldn't be happening. Claire was grateful to hear that a father was now in the picture.

"I thought that you were raising May all by yourself," she commented quietly, averting her eyes out of politeness as he finished wiping his eyes.

Barley saw the kindness in her expression and relaxed a bit, his embarrassment fading. "I have been. The news of Zack being her father is relatively new. There are… a lot of details to hammer out, but for now, I suppose the idea of them getting used to being around each other is a good start." While he loved his granddaughter, raising her alone had been very difficult, and he was growing tired. If Zack could prove himself…

"Does May know yet?"

The old man shook his head. "I'm not trying to hide it from her forever, but I'm trying to let her slowly adjust to the idea of seeing Zack more often. He sounds like he genuinely wants to be a part of her life, but he seems a little unsure how." He let out a sigh. "This whole thing has just been one big mess." He neatly folded his handkerchief into a tidy square. The weight that had lifted from his heart in just saying the situation aloud… Carter was right, sharing helped.

"I can imagine it's not easy." Her gaze was sympathetic.

He gave a small chuckle, shaking his head. "It really isn't. Even people that mean well sometimes cause more harm than good by trying to rush things." He sat pensively, staring up at the ceiling. "Family matters… They're often complicated and need to be handled with care. One wrong move, and it can undo everything."

Claire gave a small hum of agreement as vague thoughts of leaving her parents' house bounced around in her head.

I don't think I've undone everything… Maybe I'm wrong…

Barley reminded himself that she hadn't asked to be dragged into his affairs. He straightened his posture. "Well, it's really just a matter of reading his intentions at this point and going from there. It would certainly be easier if my daughter would come back home."

Claire snapped back to attention. "Is she traveling?"

He shook his head. "Joanna is very adamant about not coming back here. She… she went through something no one should ever have to. I guess I can't blame her, in a way." An old anger rose back within him as he recalled the incident. It hadn't faded with time. "She was assaulted on her way home from Doug's." His eyes welled with angry tears as he could still see her sobbing in the doorway, her clothing in shreds and her spirit broken. He had held her through the night as they both sobbed, answering a young Officer Harris's questions and impatiently waiting for Doctor Hardy to come and make an emergency visit for them… "Officer Harris still blames himself for being unable to track down her attacker, who they figured was just passing through. They were close friends, but even his presence wasn't enough. She… she said she didn't feel safe here anymore."

I wasn't able to keep her safe.

"… And Aja had already left at that point… They were best friends…" Barley trailed off halfheartedly. "The whole situation isn't something the residents of Mineral Town really brag about."

Claire was quickly learning that Aja was quite a popular young woman in the village and seemed to be the cornerstone of a few relationships. Her throat tightened as she reflected on the old man's words. "I am so sorry for what happened to your family. I… I hope she feels safer now."

Barley swallowed the lump in his throat. He hadn't meditated on the situation that way. Mineral Town was a place of safety and happiness to him, but he hadn't given much thought to the fact that it had stopped being that for his daughter. He thought of her alone on that ship with Zack with nothing but the dark sky and waves to soothe her.

She's just been looking for some sort of peace. Can… Zack give that to her? She sought comfort in him once…

Maybe…

Maybe she will never feel safe here.

Can I accept that?

He blinked the mistiness out of his eyes. This was too much right now. Here he was, laying out all of his problems and worries in front of an acquaintance. At what point had that become acceptable for him? Still, if the stories he'd heard about the boy that Duke had hired were even half true, the young farmer seemed to have a talent for getting people to open up.

"Maybe…" Claire's voice was soft. "Maybe, someday… when I've gotten used to taking care of sheep and cows, I can come over and watch over your flock and herd while you and May go to visit Joanna sometime."

Maybe she's right. Maybe I really can see her again… There's just never been someone available…

He looked up at her with a slight gasp and she gave him an apologetic look, shrinking back.

"I-I'm sorry if that's too forward…" She looked down at her folded hands, wringing them a bit.

"Are you available for more shearing this afternoon?"

A smile hinted at the corners of her mouth. "Yes, I can do that."

Barley cleared his throat, blinking the last of his tears away. "Excellent. Now let's talk sweet potatoes."

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading to 100 chapters. It means a lot that you are still here and reading along! :)

Pete's godlike powers and insane farming abilities are a nod to Harvest Moon DS. It is ridiculously easy to have a huge farm right off the get go in that game, and you get stupid rich really fast. Alas, Claire has a normal, everyday rucksack so she has the abilities of a mere mortal.

I hesitated a bit with adding Joanna's back story here. I didn't want it to be dark for the sake of edginess, but I wanted to give a legitimate reason why Joanna doesn't want to come to Mineral Town and why she isn't the one taking care of May. Sexual assault is a very real problem and it the after effects can really ruin lives. A lot of people make Joanna out to be a bit of a deadbeat, but I wanted to give her more than just an "I'm too busy with my job in the city". Trauma can really affect one's ability to take on more responsibilities, such as being the mother of an unexpected child. I guess I was looking to flesh her out a bit more and add a bit to the history for Mineral Town. Cute as the town is, I don't imagine everything being perfect.