The Settlers Sons: Jewel Thief - Volume 1

The Settlers Sons

Jewel Thief

Book 1

Desiree Love

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2016 ©

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means. This includes electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, scanning or recording, or by any electronic transmittal service or device, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Except for brief quotations or reference for the purpose of reviews or were permitted by non-commercial copyright laws. This novel is the original work of fan fiction. All characters’ names, places or any other aspects mentioned are trademarked and the sole property of those stated and their respected owners.

All Rights Reserved

© 2016

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – Along the Trail

Chapter 2 – Fight Never Forgotten

Chapter 3 – Sleeping Bear Valley

Chapter 4 – The Hunt

Chapter 5 – Storm of a Lifetime

Chapter 6 – Getting to Know You

Chapter 7 – Colored Stones

Chapter 8 – Storm A’Comin Round Again

Chapter 9 – Trapped Desire

Chapter 10 – A Nightmare Come True

Chapter 11 – The Secret

Chapter 12 – Wrath be Upon You

Chapter 13 –Seduce Me

Chapter 14 –A Foggy Mind

Chapter 15 – Mistaken Identity

Chapter 16 – I do

Chapter 17 –Return What was Taken

Chapter 18 – More Trouble Coming

Chapter 1

Along the Trail

Bennett looked out among the hills and grimaced. The last two days had been especially hard for the group of pioneers traveling across the vast barren lands. He looked back at the bottom of the hill where a makeshift camp had been situated, people laughed but not too loud. The ambiance of failure and sorrow filled the souls of his traveling companions. The many despairs that they had gone through over the last year was more than most could bare.

The last remaining settlers of the town of Morcorn were becoming more desolate by the day. Their bodies worn and tired and their souls even worse. Some, however, were not quite as bad as others. Many women had lost a husband and some even a child. Snatched up by the raiders, their children would never return home. A fate they held, the mothers did not know. There were some that had tried to find them but failed, half returning back slung lifeless across the saddle of their horse.

Bennett was a strong man. Reaching his late thirties, he had married only once. He had never truly planned on marrying again either. His eyes would wonder, however; a man did have needs after all. He needed to feel the softness from a woman every so often. With the supply of women in the wagon train, he didn’t have to look far. Many of the women were now widows, their husbands befallen death at the hands of their enemies. They were lonely and looked to the accompany of a man every so often. He watched as his sons and the other men in the town kept the women happy. If not careful there would be more children, then they could feed. It was something that he told himself he needed to talk to them about. They needed to calm down, especially Justin. He was reckless and carefree. Not that it was bad to be so carefree, it was just not that safe. He needed to be settled down with a wife and happy before he fathered a child. That’s what he told all of them, his boys as well as the others in the settlement they would soon build.

He sighed again as he looked over the hills. They needed to find somewhere to settle. Somewhere safe that they could build and be able to protect themselves. Not just the elements of mother nature but if there was ever another attack like the one they had just been witness to. They needed a way to protect themselves.

He knew the people of the wagon train were tired, exhausted from the continuous trek into nowhere. They didn’t know where they were going or what they would be doing when they got there. They had put their faith into one man, deciding he was their best recourse. Bennett Stevens was a man who was loyal and honest and they all knew that. He was also determined. Determined not to lose anyone else. His own family had been struck hard that day when they had been invaded. His wife of 22 years Allison had been killed during the invasion. She was a woman that any man would be proud of. He remembered when he asked her father for her hand at the young age of 18. She had only been 16 at the time and one of the only young girls still in his hometown. Which ones didn’t move back east for school had already been married off. Allison had turned into a beautiful woman and mother and their first child had been born within the year.

He remembered all the money he had spent at the whorehouse to make sure he could take care of a woman properly before he wed her. He had been terrified of that night, wanting to be a good husband and make her happy. It hadn’t been that way for many of the men in the settlement that they had come to settle in. Morcorn was infested with greedy men. Men that cared of themselves only, not their wives and sometimes not even of their children. They didn’t say, but he ventured some of those widows did not miss their husbands all that much. They felt themselves free from the reign of terror they had been succumbed to.

What you thinking bout’?

He turned to see Jax make his horse up to the hill he was currently sitting on.

Just where we’re going to settle. We need water soon. Jax had become a good friend to him. His wife had been lost long ago in childbirth to his son Stephan. He would still get that faraway look if he spoke of her. He had a true love with his wife. A deep love that surpassed everything. It was something Bennett didn’t know about. He had cared deeply for Allison and wanted her to be happy but it wasn’t anything close to what Jax explained he felt for his wife. Trish had been his life and Stephan was the only thing that had kept him alive after her death. He had said that Stephan was part of her, so he thought he was the best thing that he could ever have there since he could no longer have her.

Yep. I can get a couple of the guys to go looking around. Jax shrugged.

Ok. Yes. That would be good. We will settle for the night here. Make sure there are two guards on watch at all times. We don’t know this land and such. There could be anything lurking around them hills.

Yes, boss. I think Ms. Marie was fixing up something to eat for us if you and the boys want to join me and Stephan.

That sounds good Jax. If I can find those three hooligans. I will round em’ up and meet you at your wagon then.

Ok. See you then. The man turned his horse around to head in the opposite direction, slowly making his way down the slope of the large hill.

Bennett looked down among the wagons. He was high enough up that he could see most of the tents that were now being spread out around the outside. The camps were always the same. The wagons were on the outside and made one huge circle. On the inside of the circle was where they set up their tents. There were a couple of families that required two wagons and so they would have more space to spread out. Most families had a fire or two or three families would group together to supply dinner together. Many times the men would split up and half would stay and watch over the wagons with the women and children and the other half would hunt for meat for the day. This continued to be the case as they made their long trek across the vast lands.

It was some time later that Bennett followed the footsteps of Jax and made his way to the tent. He hated the lack of water. His body felt like it could use a good washing. The pants he wore were covered in the dust of the trail. He knew they would come upon water soon. There was a tree line not far from the camp. There had to be a place that the animals went to for water. He smiled at the woman whose wagon was not too far from theirs. As his head nodded towards her, she nodded back. She was different he knew. She wasn’t like the other women in the wagon train. For one, she had never been married according to her cousin. She seemed to be content being alone as well which was strange. Most women wanted to find a husband fast so that they could make a family for themselves. Rebecca Withers was not the case. She was quiet but she had a look about her that made him look twice.

He turned to look the other way and started walking towards the laughter behind him. He could hear Justin’s voice and then the laughter. When he came about he could see from the faces that Justin was again telling jokes. Justin was just 19 but he was a man through and through as was his older brother Luke at 21 and even their youngest Dylan at 17. After the trauma and hell, they had been through, there wasn’t much these boys couldn’t do. They had helped to fight off Indians and in the end, they had buried a mother and young sister. Jax was of course there sitting on the side smiling at the younger group. Jax was the oldest in the group at 45. Although he was Bennett’s senior by 6 years, the man could ride and shoot better than over half the men there. He was one man that Bennett was glad to see on his side. Jax was the one that started calling Bennett by his last name. Said he looked more like a Bennett than a Jeffrey anyway. Jeffrey was a name that his mother had apparently read in a book and it had stuck when he was born. Until he met Jax, that was the name he went by.

His eyes traveled to the other members in their little group. All three of his boys were there as well as Jax’s boy Stephan. There were two girls present as well. Of course, there was Marie Johnson. Marie was the best cook in all of them and he often found himself riding by her tent late at night just to get a whiff of the pie she was cooking for the night. Beside her sat the other lone woman in the group Alexis Constantine. Both women had become widows after the raid on their settlement. They had both chosen different paths, however. He took a couple more steps forward until he came into the light of the campfire.

Pa, Justin was telling us some jokes. Luke laughed then nodded his head at his brother to tell another.

Bennett had just sat down on the ground when he was handed a plate. He looked up into the dark brown eyes and smiled his thanks.

Thank you, Marie. I appreciate it. He said with a smile and slight nod.

We appreciate you, boss. You have kept us all safe and continue to do so. It is the least we ladies can do for you. He wouldn’t necessarily call them both ladies. He smiled at her again and then directed his attention to the other woman.

Alexis was beautiful, to say the least. Her long dark hair hung low to her waist and showed off her smooth ivory skin. Her eyes were dark as well, even darker than Marie’s and held secrets he could only guess at. After her husband had died it was like she was free. Alexis earned herself the name of being the Morcorn whore. She had slept with so many of the men now that they couldn’t even count. The smile on her face told him that she knew exactly what he was thinking of. The last time he had been with her.

She had also been the one to be many of the boys first including his two youngest and Jax’s boy. Bennett was sure Luke had been with her but he kept that sort of stuff private. He was like himself in that sort of thing, not that any of them bragged about who they hid under their covers. He would see her soon he was sure.

Bennett barely tasted the food as he ate in a hurry. He needed to get back out and make his rounds. It was just making dusk as he thanked the women again and gave out shift details to the five men sitting there. He decided to walk around camp that night instead of taking his horse. He needed some exercise anyway.

Bennett slowly walked around the camp and nodded at the people he found on the outside of their tent. The evening and quickly turned into night and he knew that most people were bedding down for the night. The snap of a twig behind him caught him on alert as he spun around with his gun raised.

You wouldn’t shoot little ole me, would ya Bennett?

Damn it, Alexis. I thought you were a wolf or something.

They wouldn’t come this close would they? Her eyes turned fearful as she quickly looked around to see if there was anything out in the dark.

I don’t think so. The fire would scare them off but you know that not all predators walk on four feet.

Hmmm. I know. She grins as her eyes dropped to stare between his legs.

What are you doing here anyway? His voice was gruff, already feeling himself harden, he was trying to think of something else.

I came to keep you company. Would you like some company boss man? Her voice was almost like the purr of a kitten as she made her way over to him and ran her hand slowly over his shoulders.

Well…

Come on. Let’s have some fun really quick and then you can go back to your boring job.

He didn’t say anything and sighing she turned to walk away. His arm snaked out to grab her around her wrist. He pulled her to