Done and Dusted

Luke Brooks is Done and Dusted’s other protagonist and narrator as well as Emmy’s love interest. Like Emmy, Luke was born and raised in the small town of Meadowlark, though he has less complex feelings about the town itself. Luke was the product of an affair between his married mother, Lydia, and a local man he refers to as “Drunk Jimmy Brooks.” The affair caused Luke’s stepfather and stepbrothers to hate him and treat him like he wasn’t part of the family. Meanwhile, his father stayed in town but did not acknowledge Luke as his son until after his death. Luke befriended Emmy’s oldest brother, Gus, and was quickly taken in by the men of the Ryder family. Emmy often refers to Luke as another one of the Ryder boys, though she does not have as close a relationship with him as her older brothers did. Luke grows up alongside the Ryders on Rebel Blue Ranch, and Emmy’s father, Amos, takes care of him like his own son, knowing that he could turn out like Jimmy if someone didn’t step in. Luke is known in town for being impulsive, careless, and a bit of a playboy, but Amos ensures he mostly stays out of trouble.

Luke has internalized many of his family’s feelings about himself, but a little before the beginning of the novel, he decides he needs to get his act together. When Jimmy dies, Luke learns that he owned the local dive bar, The Devil’s Boot, and that Jimmy had left it to him in his will. Luke gains purpose as he begins to restore and run the bar alongside his other jobs helping out at the ranch. Even so, he finds it hard to shake the presumptions made about him and the feelings instilled in him by his family. He does not speak with his mother for years because his stepfather forbids it, and his lack of contact with her further feeds into his feelings of being an outsider.

When Emmy returns to Meadowlark, Luke is surprised that his attraction to her is instant. Initially, he feels it would ruin his relationship with the Ryders to be attracted to Emmy, but as he continues to get to know her, he also feels somewhat unworthy of her. Luke is one of the first to notice that something is wrong with Emmy when she returns to Meadowlark because he sees that the fire she always had has gone out. Like Emmy, he realizes he has misjudged her based on their first impressions and interactions with one another, and their renewed friendship helps Luke to better understand both Emmy and himself. When Emmy stands up to his family for him, Luke finally no longer feels his past must define him. When Gus calls him a “screw-up” after finding out he’d been dating his sister, this cuts Luke deeply, but he is able to recover, knowing Emmy loves him regardless. Though Luke’s character growth begins before the start of the novel, he starts to feel whole once he begins his relationship with Emmy.

The Ryder family has owned the largest ranch in Meadowlark, Rebel Blue Ranch, since the 1800s and has always been well-known in town. At the time of Done and Dusted, Amos Ryder, the owner, has run the ranch for years but has recently started offloading some of his duties to his oldest child, August (Gus), and his middle child, Weston (Wes). Amos is a native of Meadowlark who fell in love with a woman who was passing through town but decided to stay. He rarely talks about his wife’s passing as he wants to “keep her safe” (200), but he sees her passion and conviction in his youngest child, Emmy. Amos is kindhearted and cares deeply for his family and ranch, and he somehow always knows what is going on with them despite any attempts at secrecy. Though he used to run the ranch with his friend Hank, Amos knows the ranch is his family’s legacy and wants his children to be a part of that. By the novel’s end, all of his children play a part in running the ranch.

Gus Ryder is the most serious and stern member of the Ryder family. He takes great pride in helping his father run the ranch and taking care of his family. He has a young daughter named Riley, who is adored by all of the Ryders and takes after her aunt in her riding abilities. He has a good relationship with Camille, Riley’s mother, though they are not in a relationship, and it is suggested he has feelings for his nemesis, his sister’s best friend, Teddy. Gus is always ready to do whatever he needs to for his family, whether it be his daughter or his siblings. He has been known to defend Emmy’s honor in creative ways and is extremely protective of her once he learns that Emmy is dating his best friend, Luke. Wes is also protective but in his own way. Described as the softer, more sympathetic Ryder brother, Wes cares for the emotions of his family and takes care of Emmy throughout the novel by checking in on her, as he can sense something has gone wrong in Denver. Wes’s dream is to open a guest ranch at Rebel Blue so that more people can have access to it, and he is characterized by his imagination as well as his heart. Both brothers become protagonists whose own romantic lives take focus in later novels in the Rebel Blue Ranch series.