Tempting The Beastly Woodsman.

Chapter 1

Tempting The Beastly Woodsman

1872 Winter

Bellshire America

I t was a cold morning in Bellshire village. Autumn’s crisp air carried the scent that said winter was just around the corner. There was nary a soul around other than one young woman. Who stepped out of her home and headed to the edge of the supposedly haunted woods.

Trinity Yearwood made her way through her farm to head to the forest to collect some firewood. She did not believe in the town gossipers claiming a beast roamed in the woods that gobbled up unsuspecting young travelers.

For longer than Trinity could remember, the townspeople spoke of a beast that walked as a man in the woods. People would go in then never return. Trinity had always thought it was a bunch of poppycock, so today, she went out. At the same time, all her family slept to get some firewood for the upcoming winter.

She usually would not be the one doing this because it would usually be her father or mother, but they had both come down with a terrible sickness, and it lasted the week. So she and her older sisters had divided up the chores all week long. They each took care of the cow, chicken, pigs, geese, laundry, meals, and mending of clothes. It had come to the end of the week now, and the Trinity had to get firewood, or they would all freeze soon.

The Yearwood family were farmers; her father, Amos Yearwood, came from a long line of farmers dating all the way back to the sixteen hundreds, as far as he knew. Unfortunately for him, he had not produced any living boys to take on the tradition. All his wife, Pat Yearwood’s surviving children, had been girls, much to her father’s dismay.

No one could say that Amos Yearwood did not love his three daughters; he did dearly. Still, the man would sometimes laminate of the fact that he wished he had a nice strapping son to help him with the tilling or plowing outside. Amos now approached well at five and fifty years old. His favorite line to his daughter would be. “Hurry up and marry one of you. I am no spring chicken, and if I cannot have a son, the next best thing is son-in-law.” His girls would just roll their eyes and tell him they would get right on it tomorrow. It had been a running joke in their family for years.

Now though, as she walked through the snow, her jacket and shawl wrapped tighter around her for warmth. She could not help but wonder if that tomorrow would come for her parents, not at all.

The couple had been hit hard by the sickness. Their ma being abed for an entire week and just now managed to get up sparingly. Her papa, however, had not; he still lay abed sick and week unable to eat; only liquids had been poured down his throat at the doctor's behest.

The girls had sent for old Dr. McAdam a few days ago after neither their mama nor papa had gotten any better. He had told them bed rest and a liquid diet till they could take in solids. He had given them a bottle of laudanum to ease their pain and help them sleep, he had warned them to use it sparingly, and they had only given it to them at night to sleep.

That is how Trinity found herself crunching through the snow on a cold day, picking up pieces of wood as she went. She did not care about the old stories. Trinity did not care about how far she went into the ancient woods. The only thing she cared about was her dear papa lying in bed groaning and sweating from the fever that would not abate. Being a relatively smart girl for her age, Trinity used her shawl to gather the wood to keep it in a bundle. She could not say how long she had been outside, though. Not until the rooster crowed did she realize how late it had become. Looking at the pile, Trinity thought that it would be sufficient for a week till one of them could gather more.

She wrapped the shawl around the pile, then tying off the end, Trinity slung it over her back to be able to carry it easier back home. As she walked, Trinity became lost in thought, so she did not notice her surroundings. She did not see Patsy Pinkerton and her good companion Lee Ann Basely sneaking up behind her. They wore fur that made them look ferocious and scary, like a monster.

The three girls never got along well in schooling. Lee Ann and Patsy did not care for Trinity because of how smart she could be. So, they always made fun of her and pulled her braids. They saw her walking through the forest from the bridge that went over to the Yearwood farm; the girls had wanted to give Ms. Goody toe shoes a right scare.

Trinity Yearwood could not only be considered smart, but she had gotten her fair share of looks as well. Her hair had a burnished gold tint to it. She had smooth pericline skin that looked as if she were bathed in milk every day her, and her eyes were a large cornflower blue that sat on a heart-shaped face with a tiny dimple on each cheek when she smiled. She had tiny china doll's lips that made all the boy's hearts flutter and wonder what it would be like to kiss her. Her figure looked slim and petite. If you asked Trinity, she would call it boyish because she had not yet hit ten and eight years.

While Patsy could not be considered ugly, her hair was the color of mud, her skin tan from the sun, and she had freckles on her nose that spread across her cheeks. Her face is slightly round and plump. She had a nice mouth. Many say if she could learn to curb her tongue some. Were Trinity's figure is slender. Patsy’s would be called round and frumpy. Patsy’s mother always gave her hand-me-downs from her cousins and such, so her clothes never seemed to fit right.

Her best friend, Lee Ann, had not fared much better. The girl had ahead of shocking red hair. Freckles adorned most of her face. The shape of her face most would call square with a set of small brown eyes. Lee Ann’s lips looked like they were always twisted in a snarl or hiss, so no one could say if they were pleasant looking.

Today the two girls had thought it their lucky day to see the bane of their existence walking alone into the woods. Neither thought much of grabbing a bearskin off the porch of some house and following her in there. They only wanted to scare her a little, and then they laughed and told her it had been them. Never did they think she would react the way she did.

“Roar!” When Trinity heard the awful sound of an animal behind her, she screamed, spun around, and took one look at the creature coming up behind her. Before either girl could say it was just then funning, she took off at a dead run heading deeper into the forest. Trinity ran for all she was worth. So terrified of the thing that had been coming up on her fasts. Trinity took a look behind her to see if it had given chase.

That had been an enormous mistake because doing so made it, so she did not see the large root sticking out and a hill slope not far up ahead. A shrill scream tore from her as she flew through the air down the bluff, hitting rocks and other unknown things along the way. When her head came in contact with a rock at the bottom, all she knew after that was blackness.

Trinity did not see the two shadows that appeared to peak over the edge of the bluff. “We killed her.” Patsy’s wailed, and her shrill voice echoed throughout the area. Lee Ann thankfully had a decent head on her shoulders because she glared at Patsy’s hysterics.

“I believe that is for a doctor to determine Pat. We had better go get help, though, just in case.” Calling down the bluff in case Trinity might be conscious and aware of them. “Yearwood, if you can hear us, we are going to get help.” Here she paused, then spoke again. “And we are sorry for scaring you. Please do not tell our pa’s it had been us, or we will be switched.” There was no noise from below, which made both girls nervous.

“Should one of us not stay here in case she comes to so she will know she is not alone and help is on the way?” Patsy asked while wringing her hands nervously. Lee Ann looked at her as if she had lost her marbles.

“Are yea nuts, Pat? I do not fancy staying in these haunted woods. Do you?” Patsy shook her head as if just remembering where they were for the first time. “Your right, Ann. Let's go get help, and we can come back with the party to rescue her.”

With that, the girls took off out of the woods marking trees as they went. So they would know how and where to go to find her again. Both girls did know one thing, though. If their pa’s find out what they had done, they would be getting a switch to their backside, and rightly so. “Never meant for her to get hurt, just wanted to scare her a bit is all,” Patsy grumbled as they ran, stopping only every few minutes from marking a tree.

They could only hope that there would not be a corpse instead of a live girl when they got back. Lee Ann trembled slightly as she thought about it. “Oh, pa is going to birch me. Well, this time, I can feel it.” For once, her lips were not in a sneer but a watery tremble trying to keep back tears. Patsy wished to comfort her friend, but she knew they were both in the same predicament. Her pa had told her that if she did not straighten up and fly right, he would be sending her to Aunt Gertrude’s, who would shape her upright. She shuddered to think of it.

While the girls went for help, they could never have known what came from the woods and across Trinity’s tiny prone body. Suddenly she was scooped up, the mysterious figure turned and carried her back the way it had come—no noise other than the crunching of feet in the fallen leaves. Suppose the girls had known what would become of their rival. One of them might have stayed behind to keep watch after all.

The shadows of the trees passed over the figure who held the tiny girl in his large, powerful arms as his great massive body strode quickly towards the destination of his abode. He knew he had to get her warm and her wounds cleaned, or she could slip into a forever sleep that she might never wake. He did not know if she had a family, but he assumed she came from the village a few leagues from where he stayed.

The townspeople did not like him. They called him a monster, and children usually threw rocks at him if he came anywhere close. To them, he looked like a wild beast. He shied away from them for fear of being hurt or, worse, killed. The stranger looked down at the unconscious girl once more in his arms. His deep voice rumbled out of his chest and into the early morning. No one was around to hear it but them and the animals that hid from his crunching boots under the dead leaves.

“I will take care of you, little one, until you are well again.”

Trinity felt as if she were floating. Her body was weightless. As much as she tried, her eyes would not open. She felt a throbbing in her head area, but at the moment, she could not tell if it had just been her head, for everything seemed to hurt her. It seemed from a far distance she heard a deep voice speaking to her. Trinity could not make out the words, though, only that it appeared to be a man's voice, and he sounded like he might be reassuring her she would be safe. Slipping back into unconsciousness, the only thing she could croak out before blackness took her was one word.

“Papa.”

The figure moved swifter through the woods after hearing her mutter the one word. He had to get her warm soon, or there would be no hope for her, but his home was some miles away. One could only guess how long she lay out in the elements before he came upon her. All the man could do was pray he made it in time.

As his dwelling came into view, a breath of relief went through him, seeing the familiar sanctuary of his home. She would be well soon, and then he could send her on her way not to bother him again. After all, what woman would ever want to deal with a beast of a man?

Meanwhile, back at the bluff, the two girls had gathered some villagers to come back and get Trinity Yearwood’s body. When they arrived, too, the girl's utter shock and fear, she appeared to be gone.

“Trinity was right here, we swear. She fell down there and hit her head.” Patsy’s shrill voice rang through the air. Her friend Lee Ann nodded next to her. Jumping in next. “We even marked the trees so we could find our way back to where she lay.” Both girls looked helplessly around, unsure what to do or where to look for the injured girl.

“Well, she ain’t here now, is she, girls?” The voice of Henry Ralph the tanner said gruffly.

“Oh, dear, ya do not think the beast has taken her, do ya?” Pat Pritchett, the vicar's wife, muttered while crossing herself.

“Don't be daft, woman.” Came the sneering command of one Argus Bultron, one of the founders of their small town. “She couldn’t be carried off because there ain’t no blood on the ground now, is there?” Everyone murmured their agreement. Two men went down and came back up with only her shawl, which had the firewood.

“We had better alert her family.” Henry Ralph's growling voice spoke up. He then turned his dark eyes back on the two girls who had called them to follow them into the forest.

“As for ya two. Both yar pa’s are to be informed of what happened. Ya will have some explaining to do, I reckon.” The girls could only nod. Both their lips trembled considerably with the thought of the whooping they were going to get over this mishap. The girls held hands, trying to comfort each other as all of them and the villagers walked back towards town—everyone’s thoughts on the poor girl and her family.

The Yearwood's had always been good people. Helping out when they could, giving back to the community. Now, this. It broke some of their hearts to have to tell the family that their youngest prettiest daughter had gone missing or might be dead.

When they finally made it back, the two girls had been marched to their homes; their ma and pa asked for the full story. When they admitted what they had done, you could hear their yowls of pain as they each were switched but good. The news spread like wildfire, and not a single person that listened to their cries felt the least bit sorry for them.

Everyone in the village knew the girls had the devil in them when it came to the Yearwood girl. Frequently did they see the two pulling her hair or calling her names. Many had tried to reprimand them, but they did it again and again.

The ones who felt the least sorry for the two hellions were the village boys. Tommy Bultron sat in a circle with Billy Thompson, Rodney Coltrane, and Jessy Bishop. A sneer came to their lips when they heard Lee Ann and Patsy and the unmistakable sound of cries. As well as, chastisement by their parents did not move anyone at all.

Tommy Bultron is the eldest out of most of the kids in town. Except for a few like Rodney and the Yearwood sisters, he felt he needed to lead the younger ones. Seeing as his father is one of the founders, he thought it was in his blood. Many called him a strapping young fellow with pitch-black black and eyes of green. He had not yet grown into his face and body, only a year and a half older than Trinity. All the girls fancied themselves in love with him. Tommy believed himself in love with Trinity.

“Those two little heathens, I cannot believe what they have gone and done something so brainless. They deserve whatever their parents give them. Lucky it ain’t me doing it. I would birch them good for hurting Trinity as they did.

The other boys looked morosely at Tommy than one another. “Why don’t we join the search for her when it happens. If we find her, she will be so grateful she is bound to marry one of us?” Rodney smiled as if this were the best idea ever. Tommy narrowed his eyes at the other boy. “How many times I got to tell ya, Rodney. Trinity is mine. I will marry her and no one else!” Rodney cowered under his friend's glare.

Though not a bad-looking boy, Rodney did not have Tommy's same brains or looks. Trinity and Tommy ran neck and neck when it came to good grades. She only outranked him by a few points. Most fellas would be angry that a girl beat them, but Tommy liked to see it as a challenge. He always swore he would beat her next time.

Rodney stood a few inches short with short brown hair and brown eyes. He had a bulky frame from helping his pa in the blacksmith work all the time, so his came from muscle. Many of the girls found him attractive but nothing compared to Tommy. Even though he is a year older than Tommy, Tommy still acted the older of the two. Rodney did not seem to mind because he thought Tommy was smarter just to let him lead. It had been more comfortable that way.

Billy was the next one to speak, “what if the beast got her? then what are ya going to do, Tommy?” The black-haired boy just looked over at his friend, a gleam in his green eyes. “I will avenge her, of course. It is only natural.” Tommy looked over to the house in the distance where the Yearwoods resided. His heart broke for the wailing scream that rented through the air moments later. “They have been told. It seems,” this indeed had been a sad day indeed for everyone who knew Trinity Yearwood because she had been such a lovely, sweet girl.

Tommy spoke mostly to himself when, after the screaming, cries died down. “She would have made a fine wife, a

fine one indeed.” None of his friends said anything more after that. They instead went to get ready for the search. No one wanted to go too deep into the haunted forest, but no one wanted to leave a poor girl hurt and defenseless either out there in the cold.

The group did not take long to gather. Many of the search party were men and some of the boys from town. Each broke off to take a section of the forest; they were told to horn if they found anything.

The search went on until dusk. Nothing of Trinity was found. When it got too dark to see, the parties headed back to begin again tomorrow; everyone swore they would try their hardest to find her. For someone, such a Trinity is a treasure that you just do not lose willingly without a fight.