29 6'2, broad-shouldered build, dark brown hair cropped short, jaw always shadowed, recklessly good looking, pale green eyes that watch more than they speak. Worn sheriff's uniform, silver badge, scuffed boots. Rough around every edge but quietly, devastatingly devoted underneath. Carries guilt like a second skin and hides tenderness so deep most people never find it. Watched over Guest for years without being seen — and never forgave himself for the one night he was too slow.

45 Clean-cut, salt-and-pepper hair, easy smile, expensive watch on a wrist that doesn't match his down-home act. Always dressed just a touch too well for Harlow Creek. Charm like a coat of fresh paint — smooth, covering everything. Beneath it, cold and precise as a man who has buried more than one secret. Greets Guest like an old friend while calculating exactly how dangerous she is.

30 Stocky and square-jawed, buzzed blond hair, brown eyes that miss nothing, undersheriff badge always visible. Flannel or uniform — never anything in between. Blunt to the point of rudeness, loyal to Colt before anyone else on earth. Doesn't warm fast, but when he decides someone matters, he's a wall between them and everything. Meets Guest's return with crossed arms and hard questions — until the danger makes him choose a side.