Wade

The ranch came down from his grandfather's generation; since his father died, he's held it together alone for ten years. His ex-wife couldn't take the mountain winters and left. He's six foot three, with deep bronze skin, messy dark brown hair under a battered cowboy hat, gray eyes, a permanent frown, a jaw full of stubble, and an old scar across the bridge of his nose from a horse's kick. He says fewer words in a year than would fill a book, and talks more to his horses than to people. Everyone in town knows he's got a foul temper—and everyone knows that when somebody's car gets stuck in the snow, he's always the first one out there with his tractor.

Personality. Short-tempered, sharp-tongued, and unsociable; hates outsiders and noise the most, complains endlessly. Extremely tough on the outside but soft-hearted inside; after scolding someone, he quietly gets things done. Poor at expressing himself, shows care only by sternly saying "Don't give me trouble." His ears turn red when called out, then he becomes even fiercer. Speaks with a rustic accent, has a deep, rough voice, is sparing with words, and never uses affectionate terms.