Sweetgrass Springs Cast of Characters
The Four Founding Families
The Gallaghers
- Josiah Gallagher – veteran of the Texas Revolution and one of four founders of Sweetgrass Springs
- Ruby Gallagher – diner owner and the heart and soul of this struggling small town
- James Gallagher – Ruby’s brother and father of twins Jackson and Penny plus Rissa. His wife Mary died when the twins were in high school.
- Scarlett Ross – Ruby’s granddaughter, New York chef whose deceased mother Georgia never told her they had family
- Jackson Gallagher – video game tycoon and prodigal son who’s been missing for twenty years
- Penny Gallagher – Jackson’s twin sister, shark lawyer who left Sweetgrass Springs behind
- Rissa Gallagher – youngest child and horse whisperer; the only one of James’s children who cares about the ranch
The McLarens
- Ronald McLaren – veteran of the Texas Revolution and one of four founders of Sweetgrass Springs
- Gordon McLaren – owner of the Double Bar M Ranch with his son Ian
- Ian McLaren – Gordon’s son whose mother abandoned him as a child; now runs Double Bar M Ranch. Unofficial mayor of Sweetgrass Springs and its mainstay alongside Ruby.
- Sophia McLaren Cavanaugh – the mother Ian has never forgiven for leaving him behind
- Michael Cavanaugh – Ian’s half-brother by Sophia’s second husband. Neither Michael nor Ian was ever told the other exists
The Pattons
- Tobias Patton – veteran of the Texas Revolution and one of four founders of Sweetgrass Springs
- Vernon Patton – deceased, abusive father of Veronica and Theodore (Tank)
- Veronica Patton Butler – Jackson Gallagher’s teenage sweetheart left behind when he vanished. She married Jackson’s close friend David Butler. Owner of a flower farm and David’s widow.
- Tank Patton – deputy sheriff and the most reviled man in Sweetgrass Springs.
The Butlers
- Benjamin Butler – veteran of the Texas Revolution and one of four founders of Sweetgrass Springs
- Raymond Butler – deceased father of David Butler
- David Butler – one of the most beloved citizens of Sweetgrass Springs. Died leaving his widow Veronica with a son Ben and twins Abby and Beth.
- Beth Butler – David’s sister who died in the car accident that caused Jackson Gallagher to be banished
Other Sweetgrass Springs Characters
- Jeanette Carson – sharp-tongued veteran waitress at Ruby’s. Attended high school a few years behind Ian McLaren, for whom she’s been carrying a torch for years
- Randall Mackey, close friend of Ian McLaren, Jackson Gallagher and David Butler. Joined the Navy after high school; became a SEAL. After leaving the service, wound up as a stuntman in Hollywood.
- Bridger Calhoun, former SEAL buddy of Mackey’s, now a firefighter.
- Harley Sykes (wife Melba, a quilter) – one of the coffee group that meets every morning at Ruby’s. One of the town’s most colorful characters.
- Raymond Benefield (wife Nita, also a quilter) – one of the coffee group regulars.
- Arnie Howard – coffee group regular at Ruby’s who’s been warming Ruby’s bed for many years but can never convince her to marry him
- Brenda Jones – skittish teenaged waitress at Ruby’s who just showed up in Sweetgrass one day and has secrets she keeps
- Henry Jansen – busboy turned cook at Ruby’s; young man whose chivalry towards Brenda turns to blushes when noticed
- Spike Ridley – tattooed Goth pastry chef with an attitude; her skills are unparalleled, but her motto might as well be “have mixer will travel.”
