Stray: Rowe Brothers Ranch, page 1
Stray
ROWE BROTHERS’ RANCH
BOOK ONE
DJ KRIMMER
Copyright © 2023 by DJ Krimmer
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
To all the Ozzys out there — you are strong and you are seen. Never forget the strength that’s inside you.
All my love
DJ
“I survived, carried on, glad to be like a weed, a wild red poppy, rooted in life.”
WILD POPPIES, MARILYN BUCK
Contents
Content & Trigger Warnings
Ozzy
1. Ozzy
2. Jackson
3. Ozzy
4. Jackson
5. Ozzy
6. Jackson
7. Ozzy
8. Jackson
9. Ozzy
10. Jackson
11. Ozzy
12. Jackson
13. Ozzy
14. Jackson
15. Ozzy
16. Jackson
17. Ozzy
18. Jackson
19. Ozzy
20. Jackson
21. Ozzy
22. Jackson
23. Ozzy
24. Jackson
25. Ozzy
26. Jackson
27. Ozzy
28. Jackson
Ozzy
Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by DJ Krimmer
Come Stalk Me
Contents
Content & Trigger Warnings
Ozzy
1. Ozzy
2. Jackson
3. Ozzy
4. Jackson
5. Ozzy
6. Jackson
7. Ozzy
8. Jackson
9. Ozzy
10. Jackson
11. Ozzy
12. Jackson
13. Ozzy
14. Jackson
15. Ozzy
16. Jackson
17. Ozzy
18. Jackson
19. Ozzy
20. Jackson
21. Ozzy
22. Jackson
23. Ozzy
24. Jackson
25. Ozzy
26. Jackson
27. Ozzy
28. Jackson
Ozzy
Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by DJ Krimmer
Come Stalk Me
Content & Trigger Warnings
I do my best to present any and all content in the gentlest of lights but please, take care and make sure to check in with yourself. Only you know you well enough to decide if you should proceed.
Remember to always put your mental health first and you matter.
Possible Triggers:
Stray Contains:
- Scenes of Rape
- Scenes of Graphic Violence
- PTSD Flashbacks
- Anxiety & Depression
- Child Abandonment
- Death
Content:
- Kidnap
- Sex Trafficking
- Abuse & Assault
- Sick Parent
- Explicit Language
- Explicit Sexual Situations
Ozzy
PROLOGUE
“Fuck!” I gasp loudly when the bucket of freezing water sloshes over my beaten, naked body, causing me to shiver in the cold night air.
“Get your filthy ass cleaned up.” The masked man growls as he throws a bar of soap at me from his place on the porch. It must be nice getting to wear a winter coat and face mask. Reaching down, I try to grab the bar, but it slips out of my hand. The man grips the heavy metal chain in his hand and jerks it, causing the sharp prong collar around my neck to bite into my undoubtedly already infected wounds. Letting out a scream in pain, I fall to my knees, grab the soap, and begin running it over my shivering body, washing away mud, blood, and god knows what else.
“Hurry up,” he barks. “And wash that disgusting ass of yours. I ain’t putting my pecker in there until you wash those nasty fucks out.” I finish rubbing the soap over my body before standing and bracing myself before he turns on the hose and blasts me with the icy water. My scream is silent while I spin to get fully rinsed off before he yanks me by the chain back into the dilapidated cabin.
“God dammit, Hugh!” the older man’s Australian accent growls as he smacks the one holding my chain upside the head. “Ain’t nobody gonna pay to fuck her with that nasty shit in her neck.” Really? Because it hasn’t stopped either of you or anyone else you’ve let in so far.
Hugh shrugs his broad-set shoulders. “Patrick, if the stupid cunt would stop running, she wouldn’t need the collar.” The older man turns to me.
“You ain’t broken in yet, brumby?” he chuckles as he smacks my cheek before letting out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, I guess I’m going to have to keep trying.” I move to back away, but Hugh tightens his grip on my chain as the man towers over me.
“Remember, brumby,” His breath reeks of cigarettes, and I cry out as he grips my collar and squeezes it to cut off my air supply. “The harder you fight, the more fun I have. Now, bend over and stare out the window. I want you to see how close you are to your freedom while I fuck your cunt into submission.”
Ozzy
FIVE YEARS LATER
“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I mutter in annoyance as I pull down my oversized sunglasses to look around at… nothing. Nothing but land and sky as far as the eye can see. The culture shock is hitting me like a ton of bricks. It’s like I’m stepping into a whole other world. There’s a wooden home with a wraparound porch with barns on either side, and the entire place is overrun with wild animals. They are everywhere. Okay, I guess farm animals aren’t “wild,” I don’t think… but still.
Taking a deep breath, I put Gretchen, my Volkswagen Jetta, into drive as I creep down the long dirt drive.
“Shit!” I scream, slamming on my brakes as a small pig runs out in front of me. “What the fuck!” Throwing Gretchen into park, I whip open my door and get out of the old girl.
“Sorry about th–Oh my god…” The large man lets out a breath as he looks me up and down. “Can I?” he coughs to clear his throat as he smirks and waggles his brows. “Can I help you, angel?” Ah, this must be the infamous Carter. Before accepting this live-in nurse job, I was warned that the three sons of the man I’d be caring for were a handful- specifically, Carter and his apparent obsession with getting a little too close with the aids at the agency they had been using.
“Ozzy Davenport,” I say, noticing two other large men walking up behind him. You got this, Oz. You knew there would be men here. “I believe I’m here to take care of your father.” The other two men flank the one I’m still assuming is Carter. And the one on the left with longer brown hair huffs loudly.
“You are a nurse?” Same shit, no matter where I go. Never mind how qualified I am. All they see is the tattoos. I’m covered from the neck down, my straight hair split down the middle, half silver and half black. Plus, there are the visible piercings–my quarter-size black plugs, dimple piercings, and nostril ring. I cross my arms over my large chest and raise a dark brow at the man, daring him to continue.
“Yeah, for nearly a decade now.” His piercing blue eyes roll as he shakes his head.
“I’m going to throttle Indy for this,” he mutters to the still-grinning man. My eyes narrow as I feel a surge of protectiveness for the only friend I’ve had in the last five years.
“For what?” I ask sharply. “Finding you a nurse willing to help you since your brother here can’t keep his dick to himself?” The taller guy busts out laughing, and Carter’s smirk widens.
“So,” he purrs, getting close to me. Too close. “You’ve heard of me.” His hand goes out to touch me, but in an instant, I kick him behind his knee, causing him to fall to the ground into a pile of mud… or maybe it’s shit. Yep, definitely shit. His brothers start moving, but I press my foot down, the heel of my black stiletto dangerously close to Carter’s crotch, and they all freeze.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” I state slowly, looking at each of them. “You will talk to me like I have no sex parts, understand? To you, I am a shapeless robot. I am your great-great-grandma. Whatever you have to tell yourself to keep your piss-ant penis in fucking check. And if you can’t, and we have to have this discussion again,” I press into my heel, causing Carter to hiss. “I will pop those useless nuts like grape tomatoes. Am I making myself clear?” Raising my brow, I wait for him to give his answer. Carter nods furiously, and I give him a bright smile. “Perfect! See! Now we can be friends.” I beam while removing my foot and stepping back. The two standing men help Carter up, who is cupping his crotch like a protective mother would her baby.
“Jensen,” the long-haired man says to the tallest one. “Take Carter inside and get him some ice.” Snorting, I roll my eyes while Carter limps away.
“I barely touched him,” I mutter before turning and walking to get my luggage out of Gretchen.
“We have to ride horses,” the man grunts. “Any soreness or tenderness can make riding impossible.”
I clutch my hands to my chest and push out my bott
“Get over yourself.” He snorts before snatching my bags from me. “He goes to touch your arm, and you knock him back and nearly impale his nuts? You won’t get along around here if that’s the attitude you’re giving out.”
“Well, fortunately, I’m not here to get along. I’m here to take care of your father.” He huffs out a laugh as we walk towards the front of the house.
“Right,” he says, opening the door and looking me over once more. “And how do you plan to do anything with those?” He gestures to my long, stiletto-shaped black and red nails.
“Lucky for you,” I state while trying to control my annoyance rapidly bubbling to the surface. “My nails and my job are none of your concern.”
He smirks, though the hard edge to his voice tells me he’s as annoyed with me as I am with him. “This is my house.” He glares down at me, and his jaw tenses behind his short beard. “I’m the one signing your paychecks. So your job performance, as well as your nails, are my concern. Now, if you’re done running that mouth, I’ll show you to your room.”
I glare but say nothing. The truth is, I uprooted my life to come here. If I leave here, I’ll have no job and no place to stay besides Gretchen. I try to take in the house while following him through the spacious, open living space. Everything is bright and airy, and windows are everywhere, allowing the bright sun to light up the area, but it’s the view that stops me in my tracks. It’s unlike anything my city girl ass has ever seen before. The ranch spreads out like a painting. The land seems to go on forever; there’s so much of it, and it’s all so breathtakingly beautiful it doesn’t seem real. As we continue around towards the staircase, I can’t help the small smile when I see horses running and cows grazing in the pasture. I’m living in a place that has cows in a pasture, and it’s not even a big deal.
Tearing myself away from the picturesque view that the massive windows perfectly frame, I notice how the home’s interior is just as beautiful. It’s like something out of a Country Living Magazine. The exposed dark wood beams cross the ceilings, and a gorgeous hardwood floor covers the primary and upper levels. It’s interesting that despite how filthy these men seem to be, the house is spotless. We walk up the steps and make a right at the top. He leads me down the hall with walls covered in family photos of kids at various stages of life, along with ribbons and medals. We stop at a dark wooden door, and he turns to me while twisting the handle.
“This will be your area.” He states, walking in while I follow behind him. The room is nice, spacious, and full of light like the rest of the house. The first part is like a small living area: an oversized loveseat, television, and bookcase with more knick-knacks than actual books. I walk further and have to steady myself with the wall. The bed is facing a wall-to-wall window looking out at the wood line and…
“That’s it, Brumby! Run, run, run!”
My knees buckle as memories of Patrick’s laugh turn my blood to ice, and my hearing becomes muffled. Where are the curtains? Can I be seen from up here? Who could be out there? Out there watching… waiting.
“Guess you ain’t used to the view.” His voice startles me so severely it causes me to fall backwards against the wall and have to force back a cry.
“You… alright?” He asks cautiously, and I try to tamp down the embarrassment as I right myself.
“I’m fine,” I say crisply, turning away from the window. “And no, I haven’t seen a view like that in a while.” I notice a door off to the side and point to it. “Closet?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
“No, there isn’t a closet here anymore.” He states, gesturing to the armoire and dresser. “We converted the old walk-in closet into a private bathroom. It ain’t much, but you don’t have to share it with any of us.” He shrugs before putting my bags next to my bed. “Mama just got your bedding washed last night, so it’s clean. I’m sure she’ll be around here soon to meet you.”
“Is she up often now?” I ask, trying to go into professional mode, mainly to distract myself from the massive window and the feeling of dread trying to wrap its dark arms around me. It’s funny, honestly, how two humans can take up the same space, and one can be drowning while the other has no idea.
“Uh yeah,” His eyes flicker from mine to the window and back. Does he see something? “She still needs a lot of help on the stairs, and you’ll often find her trying to do more than she should, but she’s been sticking with the exercises that Indy and the physical therapist gave her.” I give him a slight nod. Their mother, Dorothy, had been recently bedridden after a broken hip. My friend Indy, who got me this job, and her boyfriend, this man’s brother, came here last month to help since I couldn’t get here any faster. I had to wait to leave the state until after the hearing, until after I knew they’d been put away for good.
“Okay.” I let out a breath before staring up at him. It annoys me that this man is still much taller than I am despite my massive heels. “Well, I’ll get changed, and then get ready to meet your dad.”
“What,” he huffs out a laugh. “That’s not your uniform?” He gestures to my leather leggings and black tank top with a red, long-sleeved fishnet top over it.
“No, I prefer nipple tassels and a g-string. That okay with you, bud?” I snap, getting a little pissed by the way he’s looking down his nose at me. He rolls his blue eyes before shaking his head and turning to leave.
“It’s Jackson. Not bud.”
My reflection stares back at me, and I have to say, I’m proud of how well I’m hiding the anxiety I’m feeling. “I am a strong person,” I whisper as I run my fingers through my hair to pull my hair up into a messy bun. “I’m resilient, I’m brave, and I’m beautiful.” I recite my therapist’s words while refusing to allow my eyes to trail over my tattooed body. I turn and slip the black long-sleeve shirt on before turning back around. “I’m a survivor. I am a fighter, and my past can’t hurt me anymore.” My voice cracks, and I glance towards the window again. It just had to be facing the fucking wood line.
Walking from the bathroom through the bedroom and into the sitting area, I grab my cotton leggings and slip them on. Sliding into my chucks before taking one more breath and opening the door.
“Oh!” I breathe out, surprising the older woman standing in my doorway.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart!” She gasps out softly. “I was bringing you some clean towels. I’m Dorothy.” I give her a friendly smile.
“Ozzy, I was just coming to introduce myself to you and your husband.”
“Perfect!” Dorothy beams after handing me the basket of warm towels. They smell fresh, and I have to resist the urge to pull one to my face and inhale. I set the basket on the loveseat as Dorothy waves her hand for me to follow her. I notice her gait as she walks on her cane. She’s healing well from the break, but I will have to make sure she is resting as often as I can get her to. The last thing we want is for her to do too much and have a setback.
