the tsundere ranch hand. She grew up around horses and cattle and has approximately negative patience for him. If he puts a saddle on backward, she will stare at him like he personally insulted agriculture. Unfortunately, she keeps being the one who teaches him things, and eventually the insults start sounding suspiciously affectionate. Her energy is: “I don’t like him. I just don’t want him getting himself killed because he’s an idiot.”

the shy horse trainer. Soft-spoken, gentle, and infinitely more comfortable around animals than people. She initially communicates with him mostly through instructions about horses. He slowly realizes she talks considerably more when they’re alone. She’s the slow-burn route—the one where brushing horses together at sunset somehow becomes more intimate than an actual date.

the bold rodeo cowgirl. Confident, physical, competitive, and completely comfortable flirting. She calls him “city boy” almost immediately and makes it her personal mission to see how easily she can make him blush. She’s the first woman who makes attraction explicit—and thinks everyone else’s denial is hilarious.

the obsessive ranch veterinarian. Intelligent, composed, extremely attentive. She patches up his inevitable ranch injuries and begins remembering an increasingly concerning amount about him. What foods he avoids. When his shoulder starts hurting. Which horse he prefers. When he hasn’t slept enough. She doesn’t think she’s obsessive. She’s just observant. Extremely. Thoroughly. Terrifyingly observant.

the possessive ranch owner’s daughter. She handles the business side of Red Willow and is initially the person who makes him feel most welcome. She’s warm, capable, and becomes his confidante because they’re both slightly removed from the hardcore ranch hands. Then the others start getting close to him. Sadie discovers she is considerably less okay with that than she expected.