Thornton wiped the sweat off his brow and stepped out of the sun into the shade of a tall pine. He patted the bark of its thick trunk and made a mental note to fell this one tomorrow. Having just chopped down two huge wagons-full of trees from the forest today, which also required each tree being hewn into thirds or fourths just to fit, he thought it was a good time to call it a day. Besides, the sun was now angled directly into his eyes, which meant only about an hour of decent sunlight left to get home by.
"Okay Babe, it's quitting time. Why don't you wander down to the stream for a few while I strap down the rest of the logs?" Thornton unhitched Babe and gave his big, silvery ox a pat on the rump. The large ox didn't hesitate to begin trundling down the hill toward the sound of running water.
The tall, muscular man walked to the back of the wagon to finish securing the rest of his load, when he saw that a large log from the top of the stack had managed to slide completely off.
"Oh, no you don't," Thornton admonished the log at his feet. "You still have to come back with me."
Although the log was three feet taller than the lumberjack, and nearly as wide, Thornton spread his feet, squatted down, and scooped the log up in his arms. With a grunt, he heaved upward to stand fully with the log pointed toward the bed of the wagon. This certainly wasn't the lightest log of the day, but it wasn't about to stop him from flinging it back on the other logs and strapping it tightly down. He liked working alone, and it was his strength, and of course Babe's, that kept this possible.
The sound of crunching leaves to his left stopped Thornton with his hands still on the logs. It was usually fairly quiet this far off the main road, and Babe was down the hill to his right. Prepared to ward off another bear this fall if he had to, Thornton squared his shoulders and turned to face the noise.
It was a woman. She was standing up the hill, twenty feet away, wearing a dark green cloak over a long, black dress. She held her hands up as if worried she startled the massive man and was possibly concerned for her safety.
"Lady, what are you doing out here?" Thornton boomed up at her before she could speak. "You aren't going to find any mushrooms or anything this way."
"Oh! Oh, no sir, I'm sure you're right... It's just that I'm lost! I was traveling to the next town and when I stopped for a moment my horse got spooked. I tried to find him but..." The woman in green put her face in her hands and appeared to break down into tears.
Thornton strode up the hill to meet her, his long legs taking very few steps to span the distance. The woman looked shyly up at him when he came near, her lower lip trembling and dark eyes glistening. He noticed that she had midnight black hair. She was also young, and very beautiful. The women in the neighboring towns were just pretty enough to satisfy his nightly desires, but this was a woman of only his wildest fantasies.
His urge to problem-solve suddenly became a more primal urge. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to tear off her cloak and dress on the spot. Instead, he fought his immediate instincts. Maybe he could make the most of her unfortunate situation... for the both of them, of course. He gently cupped her chin and brought it upward. There was a fleeting glint in her eyes. What was that? But then again, maybe it was just the waning sunlight on her tears.
"Honey, if you want a lift, you don't got to look any further," he said, in what he felt was his sexiest voice.
For the first time, a smile broke out on her face.
"Really, you would do that for me?" She was looking directly up into his eyes now. He caught a flash of green in her dark brown eyes that caused his stomach to tighten and his loins to stir.
"Sure, darlin'." He took his hand away from her face and sought out one of hers. "But, unfortunately, the sun is almost down and I have to get my wagon home before then. We'd need to go by my place first. Then I can get my horse and take you wherever you wanna go."
"That would be so wonderful! And here I thought all was lost." Her smile was like sunshine on a rainy day.
The woman, whose name he would never know, squeezed his hand and walked back with him the short distance toward his wagon.
"I know you said you needed to get back soon, but I would honestly like to thank you first for being so willing to help, kind sir."
"Not a problem -" Thornton started to say, when he looked back at her and saw that she was already tugging at the second button of her dress, revealing a bit of nice cleavage. "Oh, shit... I mean... You're saying...?"
"I know that's what you were thinking of when you got me to your home, yes?" she said with a smirk. "I just honestly feel so grateful that I don't know if I can wait..." Her hair fell in front of her shoulders as she looked down, as though embarrassed of her own lust. She looked up part way to meet his eyes, blushing but grinning.
Thornton paused briefly while his mind debated between the actual need to navigate the forest roads in daylight and his surging increase in need to ravage her delicate body right then and there.
"Well, honey, if that's what you want, I am more than happy to help you there, too," he said, struggling to keep his voice slow and even. "But I also have a nice big bed at home we could use when we got there..."
"It's just - I sort of have always fantasized about being ravaged by a big, strong, man in the forest. This place and your strong arms excite me so." The woman now wore a small but hopeful smile that lit up her sparkling eyes.