Sunday, 21st of Winter

"Greetings! It is I, the queen of sauce, here to teach you a new mouth-watering recipe from my secret cookbook." Alma wrapped her blankets around her more tightly as she held on to her pen and notepad, ready to take notes. "This week's dish … Pumpkin Pie!"

"Oooh!"

"In my house, it's a tradition to eat pumpkin pie during the Feast of the Winter Star. The season just isn't complete without that wonderful flavor you can only achieve with the finest farm-fresh pumpkins."

"You're not wrong, Queen," Alma mumbled, scribbling in her notepad.

"A little nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove will sweep you off to a land of crimson and gold …" Alma closed the notepad once the show was over and looked out the window to see heavy snow falling from the sky. It felt especially cold today; she pulled her blankets tighter around her with a shiver. But she remembered, too: this meant she and Harvey would meet at the saloon tonight. That thought brought a smile to her face and warmed her up a bit. She flopped back down onto her bed and moaned for a moment, soaking up the warmth from her bed. But then she sighed, knowing she had work to do. Farmers never got a day off. It was the worst part of the job so far, she thought. She hoisted herself out of bed, put another log on the fire, got dressed, and went out quickly to check the mail. She carefully went down the snow-covered steps of her porch to the mailbox, took the mail out, and then went back into the cabin to read it in the warmth while she had some breakfast and coffee:

"Dear Alma,

I usually don't give out my recipes … but since you've been such a sweetheart to George and I, I've written this one down for you.

- Evelyn"

Attached was the recipe for rice pudding. That would make a good breakfast every now and then too, especially on a cold morning like this.

"Dear Alma,

I was conducting a field study the other day, and I found this specimen. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

- Demetrius"

There was a small package with a vacuum-sealed bream inside. "Oh! Uh … interesting. Sure. Thanks, Demetrius." There was one last letter:

"Alma -

How are you doing? Hope the winter hasn't been too hard on you. Anyway, I'm writing to ask you for some hardwood. I need about ten pieces, if you've got it. If not, no worries.

Take care!

- Robin"

"Yeah, I think I can do that," Alma said, taking out her notepad. She jotted down, "Bring Robin 10 pieces of Hardwood." "I want to see her about the mill anyway," she said as she put the notepad back in her bib pocket, "so as long as I can go to the secret woods or something first, it shouldn't be a problem." She finished her coffee, put on her coat, hat, and boots, and stepped out into the snowy farm.

She first went to the crystalarium and took out the amethyst that had finished refining. When she took it to her chest and looked at the other gemstones, she thought maybe aquamarine would be a good one to copy. She picked it out and put it next into the machine. Then she went to the preserves jar and bottled up the pickled pumpkin for Harvey. She filled Bisclavret's water on her way to the greenhouse, where coffee beans, sunflowers, and unmilled rice were ready to harvest. She replanted some of the coffee beans and sunflower seeds before heading out to see the other animals. She took care of all the livestock, gathered up the produce, organized what she needed and what she could sell, then headed south to see the saleswoman at the traveling cart.

Just next to the cart, Alma spotted young Jas jumping rope in the snow. "One … two … three … four …."

"Looking good, Jas!"

Just then, the little girl tripped on her rope and sighed. "Oh no! I messed up again."

"That's okay. Take a breath and try again."

She huffed and puffed a little breath then began jumping again. "One … two …."

Alma smirked and continued to the cart. "I wondered if you'd be coming. Let me see …" The woman looked at the inventory she had on display behind her. "Oh! I've got just what you need," then she gestured to a plate of food. "Salmon Dinner!"

"Thanks but no thanks." Alma looked over her goods and didn't see anything today that she needed. "Maybe Friday, eh?"

"Suit yourself!"

Alma continued on to the Secret Woods, fighting off a few slimes on her way to gather hard wood for Robin. While she harvested the wood, she also found a small book poking out of the snow. She wiped it off a bit before putting it into her bag. She left the Secret Woods, passed the traveling saleswoman and Jas, and headed north through the farm again and into the mountains toward Robin's house. "Brr!" she gasped as she came inside and banged her boots against the door frame. "It feels good in here!"

"Yes, come on and warm yourself up!" Robin greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Today's the day," Alma said as she approached the counter. She threw her bag onto the floor and pulled out the wood, stone, cloth, and gold. "I'm finally ready to buy a mill."

"Okay," Robin said with a nod, "I'll start working on your new mill first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Great, thanks. And," she said, reaching back down into her backpack. She put the hardwood on the counter once Robin cleared off the other supplies.

"Oh, you brought it! I know I can always count on you, Alma." She picked up one piece of lumber and inspected it, swiping off some of the snow. "Mmhmm …. This wood is perfect. It's exactly what I need. Thanks!"

"No problem! Thank you for all you do for me!" She leaned over her backpack again, closing it up and hoisting it back over her shoulders.

Robin watched her for a minute then asked, "Have you ever made anything out of wood, Alma?"

"Oh, yeah, several times now! Chests, mostly. But a few other things too."

"Great, then this blueprint should be a piece of cake for you!" Robin reached into a drawer under her counter and pulled out a large rolled-up piece of paper. "I think we've become good enough friends that I can trust you with my carpentry secrets. Here, let me show you the blueprints." She took off the rubber band and unrolled the paper on the counter.

Alma leaned over, looking at the strange instructions. "Are these for … musical instruments? 'Flute block' and … 'drum block?'"

"You can say that, yeah. You can use these to get creative on your farm. It feels good to be able to decorate your house with things you've made yourself!"

Alma didn't see much utility in these items, but the confidence Robin had while handing her the blueprints made her feel like she should be more appreciative than she actually was. "Well … thanks. I'm sure I'll find some use for these."

"You're welcome! Now, let me start seeing what I need for your mill tomorrow …."

"Sure, see you later then!" She gave a little salute with the blueprints to her forehead before heading toward the door. The winter sun was going down, and Alma needed to get to Pierre's before he closed. The lost book would have to wait for another day. She went south and into the heart of town.

"It's Farmer Alma!" Pierre called when she came in. "You're later than usual today! I was just about to start closing up! Got anything you want to sell?"

"As always," she said, coming to the counter. "I just had some other errands I needed to run." She began unloading her bag, and Pierre started counting things up. "Last week of winter, huh? You must be excited about spring coming back."

"Yes, business picks up a lot in the spring," he said, adding up her total and giving her the gold. "And the weather is lovely to boot. I'm tired of this cold."

"I admit, I'm looking forward to it," she said, putting the gold in her pocket. "Have a good night!" As she left the store, Pierre followed behind her and locked things up. It was perfect timing to meet Harvey in the saloon. She headed south and waited for him there. It wasn't long before he came in, and Alma smiled at him. "Good evening."

He gave her a quick kiss before sitting next to her at the bar. "Good evening. You look tired."

"Ah, it's nothing. Just another day. Lots of errands, that's all. The snow doesn't help."

"Take care of yourself. It's flu season, so you'd better be extra careful. Make sure to wash your hands often."

"Will do." She pulled out the container of pickled pumpkin.

"It's for me?"

"Maybe."

"Alma …."

"What?"

"You know what."

"Are you telling me this isn't your favorite stuff? That I didn't read your mind?"

He hesitantly took the jar and shook his head with a smirk. "Why are you so good to me?"

"Well, I kind of like you," she said with a smirk. Harvey just wagged his head at her. They enjoyed food and drinks together, chatting the night away, until it got to be late. Alma took the last sip of her wine then placed the glass on the bar. "I should get home. Tomorrow's another day."

"Let me walk you out," Harvey said, grabbing her bag. He left a tip on the bar for Emily and Gus then went to the door and held it open for her. As they walked out into the night snow, he held his arm for her and guided her toward the clinic. He stopped at the door and wrapped his arms around Alma's waist. "I always enjoy our nights together. Even when you bribe me with pickles."

"Admit it. You love them." She put her hands in his coat pockets to stay warm.

"I never said I didn't." He pulled her a little closer. "But there's something I love a little bit more." He put one hand on her cheek and kissed her sweetly. She felt a rush of heat through her body and smiled when he let go. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight." Harvey unlocked the door and gave her one more quick kiss before going inside. Alma sighed and turned to go back to the farm, but she paused when she heard something.

"Marnie … we can't." It was a voice, and it sounded like there might be trouble. She turned a bit to listen and heard Mayor Lewis. "If word got out, it could undermine my position of authority in the town!" She stepped back toward the town square a bit, listening for the distressed voices echoing off the buildings. "You understand … don't you?" It seemed to be coming from Lewis's house. She suddenly stopped when she saw Lewis and Marnie standing there, face to face, looking quite stern.

"Marnie? Is everything o - "

"You care too much about your job, Lewis." Marnie's voice sounded angry and hurt. She quieted down a bit as she continued, "There are other things to life, you know. … But yes, I understand. I guess we'll have to keep … us … a secret." Once Alma saw that Marnie was safe, she realized she needed to get out of there. She turned to go, but a stick snapped under her foot. "Gahh!" Marnie screamed with a jump.

Lewis and Marnie both turned toward the noise and saw Alma standing there. "Alma …"

"I'm so sorry - I heard your voices arguing, and I thought maybe someone was in trouble, and - "

"You overheard everything, didn't you?" Lewis asked.

Alma sighed. She looked at their faces. Marnie looked expectant, but Lewis looked concerned. She wondered if she should keep their secret or just tell everyone and break this in the open. But, no, it wasn't her business - even if she could tell Marnie ached for it to not be hidden. "Yes … but I'll keep it a secret."

Lewis sighed with relief. "Thank you, Alma. I won't forget this."

"No, don't worry about it, I'm sorry."

"Why were you hiding there, anyway?"

"I - I didn't mean to disturb you all or eavesdrop. I just - I was just going home and I wanted to - to make sure you were safe." She began to back up as she spoke. "But I'll just - I'll just go now." Then she rushed off toward the farm.