“I need to get a good hold of your legs and bottom to get you up to them.”

She was afraid to ask, but she hurried the words out. “Which means?”

“I need to get my hands under your garments again.”

“Why under them?” she asked, though knew well why and he said what she had thought herself.

“If I try to lift you with my hands on top of your garments, you could more easily slip from my grasp and that could prove disastrous for us both.”

“Come on, Slatter, or you both can stay down there until later,” Rob yelled down.

“Hurry and let’s get this done,” Willow said eager to get out of the hole if only for a while.

Slatter didn’t wait a minute longer. He wanted it done as quickly as she did. He bunched her garments up and rested his hands to her bare backside. He was reminded how round and firm she was to the touch and he pushed the thought from his mind. At least he tried to.

“Put your hands on my shoulders and as I lift you, give yourself a push up, then stretch your arms up,” he instructed.

Willow nodded, trying desperately to ignore the strength of his hands on her bare backside.

“Now,” he said.

She pushed as he lifted and she stretched her arms up as if reaching for the sky. His hands slipped down to her thighs and continued pushing her up and up. Hands grabbed at her arms, yanking and pulling, and she winced and was never so relieved when she found herself deposited on the ground. She took great gulps of the chilled air and sat, her legs aching from standing for so long.

When she watched a ladder being lowered down to Slatter, she got annoyed. Then she realized that there hadn’t been enough room for a ladder with them both in there, and she certainly wouldn’t have been able to lift Slatter up. She had to have been the one to go first.

It felt good to sit, get off her feet, and she intended to do so until she was forced to stand. She watched as Slatter rose out of the hole and hurried to turn her head just before his entire nakedness was exposed. Then she heard clapping and hooting and she turned back to see Slatter bowing gallantly to a group of women a few feet away.

“You look lovely as always, my dear ladies,” Slatter said and threw a kiss to them.

Old and young alike smiled, some blushed, others expressed their opinion about what a fine, well-endowed man he was.

“Enough with you now, be gone, and shame on the lot of you,” Rob yelled.

“Strip the woman bare and you’d be doing the same,” one woman yelled and the others agreed with shouts.

Willow pulled her cloak more tightly around her and prayed the two men wouldn’t oblige them.

“Now, lassies, what good would that do when she is not near as fine a woman to look at as the lot of you gorgeous women?” Slatter said, a lilt to his voice that cajoled.