Sunday, 14th of Fall

Another week was beginning on Paradise Farm, which meant Alma was first sitting in her bed with her notepad while watching The Queen of Sauce. This week, the recipe was Trout Soup, which Alma didn't think sounded particularly tasty. But still, she thought, it would be a good way to eat some fish she'd catch. She flipped her notepad closed, got dressed, and went outside to start her Sunday.

First, Alma saw a letter in the mailbox:

"Hey,

I thought it would be fun to send you a letter. I don't really know what to write, though.

Here, I've enclosed a treat for you. Don't tell anyone, but I snagged this from the back room of JojaMart ages ago.

Okay, see you soon.

- Shane"

Alma peeked in her mailbox and saw a box shoved inside. She opened it up and saw a whole pizza! She thought it was hard to ruin a pizza, but one "snagged from the back room of JojaMart ages ago" might be pushing it. She shook her head with a smile. Shane was trying, and she wondered how he was really doing.

As Alma folded up Shane's letter, she looked out over the crops and was happy to see her pumpkins had grown! She also had a new crop of corn and grapes ready to harvest too. She anxiously went to the pumpkins and thought five looked good enough to take to the community center's quality crop bundle. That would mean that bundle would be finished – and the fall crops one too! She wondered what the Junimo would have for her. And then she remembered: the bus stop! She made a mental note to go check it out on her way into town. For now, she continued her harvest and watering her crops too before moving on to take care of the rest of the farm. After she had organized her things, she pulled her bag tight on her back and went toward town.

Alma slowed at the bus stop. The bus was still there and looked a bit cleaner, though she couldn't tell if it was fixed or not. Just then, though, she saw Pam approaching. "Hey, did you hear about the ol' bus?"

"Is it working?"

"Yep," she said as she came and stood next to Alma, her hands on her hips, "I'm back in the saddle again, kid," she laughed.

"That's great, Pam! I know that makes you feel really good to be doing what you enjoy again."

"Feels nice!" she said, patting the hood of the bus.

"Do you know … how it happened?"

Pam shook her head, her lips tight. "No idea. My guess is someone came and fixed it overnight. A Good Samaritan or something."

"But who would have done that? Does anyone in town have the skills to be able to do that?"

Pam shrugged. "Or, who knows, maybe the bus depot came and just delivered a new one. Seems unlikely, though."

"Well, whatever it is," Alma said, "I'm glad it happened! And I know you are too."

"You know it!" Then Pam folded her arms and took her post in front of the bus, ready for any customers to come take a ride. Alma said her goodbyes and continued into town.

She went first to the community center and dropped off the pumpkins - first the five high quality ones in the quality bundle, which gifted her another preserves jar, then a regular pumpkin in the fall crops bundle, which gave her a bee house. "Oh! To make honey, I guess!" She put both things in her bag (somehow), then went south to the general store.

"Hi, Alma!" Pierre greeted as she came in.

"Morning!" She pulled out the pumpkins, and Pierre whistled in amazement.

"Tis the season, huh? Nothing like a big ole pumpkin!" She poured out the rest of her crops, and as he was totaling up her price, he asked, "Need any seeds or fruit tree saplings?"

"Actually, yes, let me get some more bok choy and fairy rose …." She thought about the empty plots from the pumpkins and the mixed seeds; it'd be a shame to let those go to waste. "What's your cheapest seed packet that does multiple harvests?"

"That'd be eggplants."

"And their germination is, what, uh …?"

"About five days. You'd get another two harvests out of them before the season's over."

She counted plots in her head. "Give me about thirty eggplant seeds then."

"You got it." He got out all the seeds and gold and put them on the counter. "There ya go! Pleasure doing business with ya."

Alma suddenly heard the sound of a gong. "Is that … the Yoba temple?"

Pierre nodded. "A few people come to pay respects every week."

Alma thought for a moment about all that had been going on with the Junimo. "Could I … check it out?"

"Sure, help yourself! It's open to the public."

Alma stepped to the back and went through the back door and down the hallway. She passed through the aerobics room and poked her head into the temple. Jodi and George were there, quietly praying. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself, so she didn't enter. But Alma took a quiet moment of peace to meditate on what had been happening lately. Her mind had been so much more at peace lately. She was seeing improvement in the community center and the quality of the town. She had found love like never before. She felt connection to the earth, to her history, and to the people around her. "Thank you," she whispered to an unknown power. She didn't know what was making this work so well, but she was grateful. She took a breath and started back the way she came.

As she walked back out into the big room, she could see bright sunlight coming from the kitchen area. She walked toward the kitchen and saw the sunlight coming through a glass door in the back. Alma was intrigued, and she creaked the door open to see Caroline standing in the middle of a beautiful sunroom filled with all kinds of green plants, a flowing fountain, and even a few butterflies flittering around.

"Oh, hi! Good morning, Alma."

"I - I'm sorry, Caroline. I'll see myself out."

"No, no, please, I'm glad you came in," she said, waving her inside. "I've been meaning to show you this …. It's my private sunroom. So what do you think?"

"Well," Alma said, looking around, "it's beautiful in here, Caroline."

"Yes," she sighed, closing her eyes. "When I step in here, I feel calm and relaxed right away! It's really therapeutic!"

Caroline and Alma both watched the butterflies fly above them. "I can see why."

"You see," Caroline continued, "this is my sanctuary … a place where I can always find peace. And it's a perfect place to drink my home-grown tea!" Alma just then noticed that she was standing in front of a table that had a beautiful mint-colored tea set. "Here," she said, pouring two cups, "let's have a cup …."

"Oh, that's very kind of you!" She handed one cup to Alma, and Alma waited for Caroline to sip before she lifted the cup up to her lips too.

"Delicious," Caroline said quietly.

"It is! I don't think I've ever had tea so good!"

Caroline smiled and looked down into her cup. "I love to come in here for a fresh cup of tea every day. It's my little ritual …." She looked up at Alma and chuckled. "Uh … let me try to explain …" She poured another cup and held it up, closing her eyes. Alma listened to the flowing water from the small fountain behind her and felt transported to another place. She felt she should close her eyes too, and she listened to Caroline's soothing voice. "When I'm alone with relaxing tea … my mind is empty and free to wander ..." Alma felt like she was in a forest, overlooking beautiful structures from an Indian jungle landscape. Her cup of fresh tea was steaming in front of her. "Who knows what might appear?" Caroline's voice said, and a little white creature popped out of Alma's tea cup. It leaned against the cup in Alma's hand, relaxing with its own cup of tea, drinking and letting out a refreshing sigh. It danced a little more then, just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared into the night. Alma opened her eyes, feeling more calm and relaxed. Caroline opened her eyes too. "I hope that makes sense."

"It … It does."

Caroline smiled and took another sip. "Life can be pretty hectic, so having a hobby like this is nice."

"I'm sure it is. It's nice to have this little slice of heaven right here."

Caroline nodded. "Feel free to come here and relax any time you want, okay?"

"Thank you so much, Caroline. That means a lot to me. I might take you up on that." Alma put her cup back on the table. "I should let you enjoy. Thank you again."

"Of course. See you around!"

Alma saw herself out the door and took a deep breath before continuing back into Pierre's shop. She was feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to get back to her normal grind.

She went next to Clint to process another frozen geode, and inside was a soft, silvery stone. Alma thanked Clint for his help then went to the museum. "This is called soapstone," Gunther told her. "It's very soft and often used for stone carving. A nice addition. Thank you." Alma nodded, and he put the stone behind his desk. "Oh by the way," he said, gesturing to the back where the lost books were, "I cleaned up your latest book, if you want to go see it."

"Oh, sure! I've got time. Thanks!" Alma headed that way and found the newest book: A Study on Diamond Yields by M. Jasper:

"After years of research in the mines, I believe I've learned something about diamond frequency. My research involved only the stones that are scattered about the mines …. The ones that are broken with a pickaxe. Mineral yields from other sources require more research.

Diamonds seem to only form at mine level 50 or greater. At level 50, approximately 1 in 500 stones will be diamond-rich.

After level 50, the frequency of diamond formation seems to increase by about.0000016 per level. Quite a rare gem!"

"Who is M. Jasper?" Alma asked Gunther from the stacks as she put the book back.

"When you find out, let me know," he answered. She walked toward the counter, and he continued, "I have my theories but no real answers."

"What are those theories?"

"Mona, who is buried in the graveyard. Or possibly Marlon from the Adventurers' Guild? Or someone else who we just don't have the privilege to know. But M. Jasper's writings are very valuable. They knew a lot about many things in Stardew Valley, including dwarf culture."

"Dwarf culture?!"

He looked surprised. "You haven't encountered the dwarves yet? Well, you will! There are dwarf artifacts and historical remnants all throughout town."

Alma pinched her eyes. "I mean, I don't know why I'm surprised. Yet another mythical creature in this town!"

"Oh," Gunther chuckled, "you don't know the half of it. But … I suspect you will."

Alma looked at him carefully, and she slowly turned to go. "I'll see you next time, Gunther."

"Have a good day, Alma," he said after her.

When Alma went back outside, she shook it off. She started walking back into town, and as she crossed the bridge, she saw Harvey standing in his new spot next to the bridge to the beach. She approached him and then heard, "Hello! Alma!" She and Harvey both turned their heads and saw Mayor Lewis walking toward them.

She gave a quick smile to Harvey before calling out, "Hello, Mayor!"

"Dr. Harvey, hello to you too, of course," he said with a nod as Harvey came up next to Alma. "Did you hear?"

"... About?"

"It seems the old bus right there by your farm started working again overnight!"

"Oh! Yes! I spoke to Pam about it this morning. Pretty amazing!"

"That old thing has been dormant for decades," he said, which confused Alma. He saw her confused glance. "Well, I mean, yes, Pam is able to get it up and running every now and then - but it always breaks down again. It seems to be fixed for good! Like a whole new bus! This is truly a great mystery."

"Wow!" Harvey said. "And … it just appeared overnight?"

"Yes! Pam suspects someone at the bus depot did it, but I find that highly suspect. The Stardew Valley bus depot hasn't cared less for us for as long as I've been mayor! I've always had to work tooth and nail to get them to do anything for us! So a sudden gesture like this? No, not like them at all."

"Well," Alma said, "I'm sure whatever caused it is a force for good, don't you think?"

"I hope so, though I am a bit suspicious," Mayor Lewis said a little quieter. "If either of you hear wind of anything, let me know, all right?"

"Of course, Mayor," Harvey said with a nod, putting an arm around Alma.

Mayor Lewis smiled and put his thumbs in his suspenders. "It's nice to see young love. I'll leave you two to your canoodling." He laughed to himself as he went back up to his manor.

"Canoodling, eh?" Alma laughed.

"All right," Harvey started, "tell me what's going on with the bus. You act like you know something."

Alma looked up at him and mouthed, "Junimo."

"What? No, really?"

"Yes! I completed the first room - I mean, I finished all the bundles in one room of the community center, and the Junimo cleaned it up like new! And their part of the deal for that room was 'Bus Repair.' I held up my side of the deal, and they held up theirs."

"Wow. So that … that's really happening. What else are they willing to fix?"

"Well," she said, pulling out her notes from the scrolls, "I mentioned to you the glittering boulder before … but also 'Bridge Repair' - not sure which bridge, though - 'Greenhouse,' 'Minecarts Repaired,' and 'Friendship.'"

"Friendship?"

"Yeah, I'm assuming with the people highlighted in those bundles: Gus, Emily, Rasmodius, Marnie, and Demetrius."

"Not me?" He placed a hand on his chest, acting deeply offended.

"I'm pretty sure we're friends!" she laughed.

"Oh yeah, that's right," he said with a smirk. "So time will tell what all those things mean exactly?"

Alma rolled up the scroll again and put it back in her bag. "I think so. But I'm getting closer and closer all the time."

"You're working hard on it, I know." He brought her into him for an embrace. "How's your day been?"

"Really good, actually," she said, pulling away and putting her bag on the ground. "I've been really productive the past few days, and today I've just felt … peaceful."

"That's great. You do have a really healthy glow. That's good."

"Oh! And there are some things I want to show you! Do you mind coming with me back to the farm?"

"Sure, I'd love to!" He picked up her bag and threw it over his shoulder with a grunt, and she looped her arm in his. "I still don't know how you carry this thing around with you everywhere."

"You just get used to it, I guess. But it does have some extra things in there that I don't usually carry - some of which is what I want to show you!"

"Yeah? And you said you've been productive; what have you been doing?" As they walked, she told him about the frozen levels of the mines, the experience with the Junimo last night, the harvests yesterday and today, the time with Caroline, the trip to the Yoba altar, the lost book - "Oh, do you have any idea who M. Jasper is? Does that name sound familiar to you?"

"Hm …. Not off the top of my head, no. Why?"

"The latest lost book I found was a research report about diamonds in the mines, by M. Jasper. Gunther said he didn't know who it was either, though he has some ideas. One thought is that it may be Mona, who's buried in the graveyard in town. I just didn't know if you had come across that name in any medical records or anything."

"Well, even if I did, I couldn't tell you about it, unless it has been more than fifty years since death."

They arrived at the farm just as the sun was going down, and Harvey thought the gold light shining over the land was beautiful. "Okay, so if you'll give me my bag, the first thing I want to show you is this …." She rummaged in her bag and pulled out the second preserves jar. She placed it next to the one that was already working and threw in a blackberry she'd picked up. "This is to make twice as many pickles for you!"

Harvey laughed and stepped closer to the machine. "Well, look at that."

"And this," she said, pulling out the bee house, "I'm assuming is to make honey. I'm going to put it over here, where the flowers will be, so the bees don't have to fly far to find food." She set down the little house next to the plot for the fairy roses.

"Very considerate, even to bees," Harvey chuckled.

"Now, come with me," she said, going up to the cabin. She held the door open for him, and she saw Bisclavret rush to them too to come inside. "Come on, Biz!" Harvey turned and looked a little startled when the big dog ran up the stairs. "Are you okay with dogs? I can just as easily keep him outside."

"No, no, he's fine. They, uh, intimidate me a bit, but I – I'm all right."

"Bizzy is a sweet boy. He won't hurt you or even jump on you," she said, squatting down to rub his face, "because he's the bestest boy there ever was. Go lie down now." He listened obediently and went to lie down in the living room. Alma put her bag down by the door and led Harvey to the kitchen. "Check this out," she said, pulling out the ancient fruit from a chest. "You remember that one time after Caroline's class when you found that tiny little artifact with me?"

"I do, yes."

"That was an ancient seed. Gunther gave me one to plant, and this fruit came from it just yesterday." Alma handed the fruit to him, and he examined it in his hand. "Do you have any idea about this? Any medicinal uses or history or anything?"

"No, I don't know anything about this fruit. I don't even know if it's edible!" he said, handing it back to her. "Best not try it."

"Probably a good plan." She put it back in the chest by the fridge. Then, as she turned around, she took a look at her stove. "You know what." She turned to him and smiled. "You're in my house, it's dinner time … How about I cook you something? I promised you I would, after all, and I haven't had a chance to yet."

"Oh! Well, I - I certainly wouldn't object, if you don't mind. That's such a nice gift."

"Of course I don't mind," she said, kissing his cheek. "Now, my cabin is not nearly as lived-in as your apartment, so I'm afraid I don't have a lot of furniture. But you can certainly make yourself at home! Maybe light a fire?"

"I think I c-can do that," he said, taking off his coat and throwing it over the table. "I saw your wood is stored on the porch?" he asked, rolling up his sleeves.

"Yes, that's right." He made his way out the door, and Alma looked through her notepad at all the recipes she had gathered. It seemed like most recipes were missing one ingredient that she needed, or the ones she had all the items for weren't really a good dinner meal. Harvey came back in with a load of wood, and she asked, "How does clam chowder sound to you?"

"Fine by me!"

"Two chowders coming up then," she said, pulling out the clams and some milk.

Harvey tended to the fire while Alma started cooking. When he was done, he pulled up the chair from the dining room table so he could sit in front of the fire. Bisclavret came and put his head in Harvey's lap. "Well, it seems I've, uh … made a friend."

Alma looked over and smiled. "Marnie brought him to me just a few days after I moved here. He was a stray, and she thought he would be a good addition to the farm. He has been a good companion for me."

Harvey gently patted his head and neck, trying not to rile him up too much. "What did you say his name is?"

Alma chuckled. "His name is Bisclavret, but I just call him Biz or Bizzy."

"It's … French?"

"It is," she said. "It's from a story by Marie de France. This man, Bisclavret, is a werewolf married to a not-so-nice woman, and his shapeshifting is like an addiction, almost; he has to balance his time as a wolf and a man to stay sane. But he never tells his wife, and he feels like she would betray him if she ever knew. So he never changes to his wolf form for a long time, and it starts to weigh on him. Eventually, he gets the idea to go to the forest in the middle of the night to be free as a wolf, and then he comes back before the sun comes up so she still wakes up next to a man. He does this for a while, and she starts to notice that he's gone for nights on end."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah," she laughed. "So she follows him and sees his clothes there at the edge of the forest, and she thinks he's just running around naked with some floozy in the forest, so she takes his clothes and goes back home. When he comes back to change and sees that his clothes are gone, he realizes someone knows about him, and he feels like it's unsafe for him to go back to the village because people might try to kill him. So he instead stays in the forest as a wolf. Since he's not coming back home, his wife sells all his things and re-marries another man, and they're not nice - though I can't remember exactly what they do. Maybe they try to swindle people? Or steal or something? Anyway, they're not good people. And all the while, Bisclavret is stuck in his wolf form, and that is just as hard as being stuck in his man form; he begins to feel sick and crazy and just not right."

Harvey was listening intently, and he was loving Alma's enthusiasm in telling this story while she was cooking. It was a new side of her he had never seen before, and he loved it. The way she moved and multitasked in the kitchen, the enjoyment she got from retelling the story …. It made a smile grow on his face. He looked down at Bisclavret's puppy dog eyes that seemed to know too that he was with a good woman.

"So then, eventually, the king's hunters are in the forest tracking a deer, and Bisclavret helps them. The hunters see that he is thin and not well, but they also tell the king he is a big, beautiful wolf unlike anything they had seen before. He was docile to them and obviously unique. The king requests that the hunters bring Bisclavret back to the castle so he can see for himself. And then, when the king looks at Bisclavret, he says, 'He has the soul of a man.' He helps nurse Bisclavret back to health and makes him like his right-hand dog.

"Then one day, when the king is listening to the complaints of the villagers, Bisclavret's wife comes in. He sits up and listens, and when he hears the lies she tells the king, he attacks her!"

"Oh my!"

"Yeah! He actually rips off her nose!"

"Oh no! I h-hope your Bisclavret doesn't do that!"

"No, of course not," she said, banging the wooden spoon on the edge of the pot. "Anyway, the king is so startled because Bisclavret has never acted like this before, and finally, right there, Bisclavret takes a risk and decides to change form in front of the king. The king is amazed, and Bisclavret explains the situation: how the woman was lying, how she trapped him, how she wasn't to be trusted, and all this. So the king exiles the woman and her new husband, and instead of executing Bisclavret for being a werewolf, he makes him a baron in the court and gives him the freedom to change form whenever he wants."

"Wow," Harvey chuckled. "Quite a story. You read this in college, I suppose?"

"Yes, in European Literature," she said, bringing the bowls to the table.

"Was that a … requirement? in your Informatics degree?"

"Oh, no, I just took extra lit classes as electives. And I don't know why, but I just really liked that story. I told myself that if I ever had a dog, I would name him Bisclavret and pretend like he was my knight in the queen's court." She took Bisclavret's head in her hands and kissed him between the ears. She then looked at the table. "Oh, I just realized - I only have one chair!"

"Please, you sit," he said, picking up his chair and putting it behind her at the table.

"Well, what about you?"

He went to the other side of the table and put half his weight on the tabletop. "I'll improvise." He lifted up his bowl and took a bite. "Oh … Alma!"

"It's good?"

"It's delicious! Thank you!"

"Thank Willy," she said. "It's his recipe!" She took a bite too. "Mm! That is good!"

Harvey looked around the room as he ate. "You don't have much furniture, but you seem to have some, um … interesting decorations."

"Yeah. They're all from Gunther, as thank-you presents for contributions to the museum collection." She pointed to the singing stone and said, "I got this one just yesterday. And this isn't even all of it; some of it I've given to other people! Like a giant standing geode in Clint's smithy and the middle section of a sloth skeleton I kept in the museum."

"I saw that yesterday, yes! So that was from you?"

"Well, technically from Gunther and then from me." She looked around at some of the decor too. "Some of it I really like, like this painting of Eco Hill. But then others are just … like, what the heck, Gunther?" she laughed. "You probably haven't seen it, but there's a huge futan bear in the bedroom!"

"Is there?!"

"Yeah! What am I supposed to do with that?!" Harvey took his soup and walked toward the bedroom, peeking in to see the giant bear. He turned around and raised his eyebrows, innocently taking another bite of chowder. "I know, right?!" Alma laughed.

"Maybe you can give it to Vincent or Jas," he said as he sat on the table again.

Alma put down her spoon and looked at him. "Why are you so smart, Dr. Harvey? Why didn't I think of that?"

He shook his head and answered, "Eight years of med school taught me something, I guess." He finished his soup and put his bowl on the table. "That was wonderful. Thank you."

"It was good, wasn't it? I need to do more cooking. Take advantage of this kitchen I paid so much for," she chuckled. As soon as she put down her bowl, Harvey stood and whisked it away into the kitchen. "Wait, what! No, let me wash them, please."

He pulled the bowls away from her and continued into the kitchen. "I know my way around a sink. You cooked - let me clean."

"Well, at least let me help you dry them or something," she said, following him.

Harvey began to fill the sink with soap and water, and he flung his tie over his shoulder. As he scrubbed on the dishes, he asked, "Do you have any other work you need to do tonight?"

Alma looked back to her bag by the door. "Actually, yeah, I need to plant and water some seeds before I go to bed."

"Can I help you?" he asked, handing her a bowl to dry.

"No, you don't have to do that!" She dried the bowl and put it back in a cabinet.

"I know I don't have to," he answered, "but what if I - I want to?" He handed her another bowl.

"Well … I wouldn't mind the company, I guess," she said, wiping the bowl dry. "And it might speed up the process."

He took the pot from the stove and dunked it in the water. "Then let me help. I'd like to learn what life is like for you on the farm."

"Well," she chuckled, "it's not usually planting and watering by moonlight - though sometimes that does happen." After he scrubbed out the pot, he handed it to her, and she dried it and put it away. "This is nice. Isn't it?" He looked down at her, and they smiled. He leaned in to give her a quick kiss. "It reminds me of when we worked together on paperwork in your clinic that one night. Just a peaceful moment of mundaneness, but it's a joy."

He handed her some of the silverware and utensils and pulled the plug in the sink. "So don't rob yourself of another moment by telling me I can't help you plant seeds," he joked.

"Fair enough," she said, drying them off and putting them away. "Let's go then, farmhand!" She picked up her bag before going back outside. "Now, we're just going to replant in these plots that are already tilled. We may need to break up the soil a bit on some of them and drop some more fertilizer. But then we just drop the seeds and water them, and we're done! How does that sound?"

"I can do that!" He said, taking his tie off and placing it on the porch.

"How about I plant, and you water behind me?" Alma went to the chest and pulled out her watering can, handing it to him.

"Yes ma'am!" he said as he took it.

"Stay close behind me so you can see by the light of the glow ring." Alma pulled out the bok choy and fairy rose seeds first, planting them where they originally were. As soon as she finished with one plot, Harvey went and watered. She tilled and fertilized as necessary on the other older plots and laid down eggplant seeds. Again, Harvey came behind her and watered when she was done. He enjoyed watching her work. She had seen him in his element several times, but he had not yet seen her in hers. It was hard for him to believe that just two and a half seasons ago, she said she had never farmed. He looked beyond at the tapped trees, the coop, the barn …. She had done so much. "These are the last ones, please," she said, getting his attention.

"Right, sorry." He came behind her and watered the last plot. Then he looked at her and gave the watering can back. "Did I do a good job?"

"You did a great job," she said, wiping sweat from her brow. "You can come back any time." She sighed and put her hands on her hips, overlooking the crops. "Well, it's getting late. You probably need to get back to your place."

"Y-Yes, right, let me go inside and get my coat." He rushed inside, and she picked up his tie from the porch.

When he came back out, he started to shrug his coat over his shoulders as he came down the stairs, but Alma looked over him and said, "Wait, maybe - " He stopped and looked at her. "Maybe not so fast?" He kept his coat in his hands and stepped closer to her. "This is a good look for you that I don't get to see often."

He smiled and said, "Funny, because I was thinking the same about you."

"What, getting my hands dirty on the farm?"

He bobbed his head. "And cooking and sharing the story and playing with the dog. It's all a good look for you too. That healthy glow is … exuberant." His hands wrapped around her, and they were soon kissing.

After a while, she pulled away and patted his shoulder. "It's getting late and chilly," she said quietly, "and you don't have your coat on."

"Neither do you," he said, pulling her tight again. "You'd better get inside with the fire. I'll be fine." He shrugged his coat over his shoulders, and she handed him his tie. He kissed her again and whispered, "I love you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Harvey began walking down the road into town. Alma picked up her bag from the ground and went up on the porch, watching him leave until he was out of sight. Then she went inside and got ready for bed.