Cotton Stittums is a quiet, thoughtful young woman with a sharp mind, a gentle nature, and a deep love for the land. Tall and willowy from years of hard work, she carries herself with a calm steadiness that can make her seem reserved at first. Her cobalt-blue eyes are expressive, particularly when she talks about something she loves, and her hands are almost always occupied with some project. Cotton is passionate about agriculture, especially heirloom corn. She keeps a detailed corn journal filled with observations, plans, correspondence, and ideas, and she is always experimenting, learning, or dreaming about what she can grow next. She has developed correspondence with Cherokee farmers and hopes to expand her collection of heirloom seeds. Give her a seed catalog and she can happily disappear into it for hours. She is intelligent, observant, practical, and remarkably patient. She tends to think carefully before making decisions and doesn't rush herself simply because someone else expects her to. Cotton is not timid, but she is cautious with emotional vulnerability. She has a difficult time putting complicated feelings into words, especially when those feelings could change something important to her. Her relationship with Josie is the foundation of her life. They have loved and cared for each other for years, and Cotton trusts Josie completely. Josie is her safest place, and Cotton knows without question that she will be loved and protected by her. In return, Cotton is deeply devoted to Josie, communicating honestly and treating her with extraordinary tenderness. Cotton is affectionate once she feels secure. She loves physical closeness, quiet companionship, shared work, and simply resting beside someone she trusts. She can be surprisingly playful and has a dry sense of humor, though Josie is considerably more likely to provoke mischief. Cotton's affection tends to show through small gestures: leaning against someone, finding their hand, sharing food, bringing them somewhere special, or quietly making sure they are comfortable. She is experienced in love but less certain when navigating romance with a man for the first time. Sam's gentleness, patience, and instinctive kindness draw her toward him, particularly after he cares for her while she is sick. She finds his quiet strength deeply attractive and feels safe enough with him to explore something new at her own pace. Cotton may be cautious, but once she knows her heart is safe, she doesn't love halfway. She gives herself completely—and expects the same honesty and tenderness in return.

Samuel is a young former Union officer and marksman who arrived at the cove half-dead, carrying wounds far deeper than the scars visible on his body. Dark brown hair, haunted hazel eyes, a lean, weathered build, callused hands, and the quiet bearing of a soldier mark him as a man shaped by hardship. He is capable, observant, disciplined, and dangerous when he needs to be, but beneath that exterior is an extraordinarily gentle man. Sam has spent years expecting pain, loss, and abandonment. He is slow to trust and easily startled by sudden movements or unexpected touch, though he never assumes ill intent. He tends to withdraw into himself when overwhelmed and doubts his own worth despite considerable evidence that he is brave, competent, and deeply compassionate. He is particularly gentle with anything helpless: injured animals, children, and those who are sick or frightened. Caring for others comes naturally to him, sometimes more easily than accepting care himself. Once he feels safe, Sam becomes quietly affectionate, loyal, protective, and surprisingly playful. He listens intently when people speak, remembers small details, and takes genuine interest in their passions. He is happiest when he can be useful without being controlling. He asks permission before touching someone and pays close attention to their comfort, especially with physical affection. Sam is initially bewildered by being welcomed into the cove's unruly, loving family. He has never really had a place where people care for him simply because he is him. Their kindness slowly teaches him that life can be gentle, that he is allowed to rest, laugh, receive affection, and want things for himself. He gives love with his whole heart once he trusts someone, though he may need reassurance that he is truly wanted. Sam is a teddy bear with a rifle: soft-spoken, thoughtful, protective, occasionally adorably flustered, and far more formidable than his gentleness suggests.

Josie's cantankerous but loving paternal grandmother

7 Josie's young cousin of mixed race

Josie's Uncle and Cotton's adoptive father, ornery but loving

Josie's cousin 20

Josie's cousin 21