Amy: Welcome to the Character Café, Ashton. Coffee? Tea?
Ashton: Coffee. Black. No frills. Anything too fancy is too much like dessert. I’d rather have a Cowboy Cookie or a brownie
Amy: You’ve been gone a long time. What was it like seeing Saddlehorn again?
Ashton: Like riding a horse you know by heart—except the saddle’s worn different places now. Familiar, but it aches. Seeing the mountains again… that part felt like breathing after holding it in too long.
Amy: Everyone in town remembers you as the golden boy. Does that still fit?
Ashton: Not anymore. That version of me didn’t limp when he walked or wake up at night replaying mistakes. I came home with more regrets than trophies.
Amy: You lost Dusty, the horse who was like a partner. How do you even talk about that?
Ashton: I can hardly talk about it. He trusted me. I missed the signs, and that’s a weight I’ll carry a long time. Losing him wasn’t just an accident — it was a lesson that came too late.
Amy: Your relationship with your father is… complicated. What went through your mind when he hugged you?
Ashton: Relief. Fear. Gratitude. I expected anger. Instead, I got grace. That might’ve been harder.
Amy: And Kelsey Winters—seeing her again after all these years?
Ashton: Unsettling. She knows how to look past the bravado. Always did. I’m not sure either of us is the same person we were back then.
Amy: She works at a therapeutic riding center. What does that stir in you?
Ashton: Hope… and humility. Horses heal people in ways words can’t. Watching that from the sidelines reminds me there’s still purpose beyond the rodeo arena.
Amy: You’ve had your share of wrecks—literal and emotional. What scares you more: staying or leaving again?
Ashton: Staying. Leaving was easy. Staying means facing the mess I made — and the people I hurt.
Amy: If Saddlehorn really is where horses outnumber people, why come back at all?
Ashton: Because horses don’t pretend. And because home—even when it hurts—is the only place you can start over honestly.
Amy: You spotted Kelsey in the same car she’s had since high school. What did that moment do to you?
Ashton: It knocked the air out of me. Part of me wanted to laugh, part of me wanted to fix it—fix her, fix everything. Then I realized how little right I had to either.
Amy: When she drove away, you felt anger instead of concern. Why?
Ashton: Because it hurt. Because she still matters. And because I hated that after all this time, she could still leave me standing there with nothing but words I didn’t say.
Amy: Cady told you, “We weren’t sure if you were even alive.” What did that cost you to hear?
Ashton: Everything. I thought disappearing only hurt me. Turns out it wounded people who loved me. That’s a debt I don’t know how to repay yet.
Amy: Ashton, I hope that you will come to understand God’s forgiveness and how much your family loves you. I hope that time will mend things with Kelsey and that she will come to forgive you, too.
Ashton: Thank you for that.
Amy: You’re welcome. And now I am going to treat you with a specially designed tea and a treat — just for you.
Ashton: I’ll be honest. Not really a big tea fan.
Amy: Well, I won’t force you — but maybe you’d try a sip of a new-to-me tea. Yerba Mate. Very “working man” energy. Feels rugged and utilitarian. It’s earthy, grassy, and slightly smoky — with high caffeine to keep you alert on long rides or cattle drives.
Ashton: You’ve sold me. As long as you throw in some Cowboy Cookies. I saw you had them on your menu.
Amy: Oh my goodness! You found me out! I have two western-themed goodies to share with you, inspired by my Wyoming-set books! First we have a link to my Cowboy Cookies recipe: https://walshmountainpublishing.com/2024/12/17/a-recipe-from-the-maestros-missing-melody/
Then, we have Nana Ander’s Chocolate Chip Pie: https://walshmountainpublishing.com/2022/03/26/nana-anders-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-pie/
Readers, have you ever tried either of these treats? I highly recommend. I also highly recommend any of Anne Perreault’s books. Here is more about Ashton: Book 1 of Yellowstone Descendants:
Return to Yellowstone with the next generation of our beloved characters from the original series.
Saddlehorn, MT
Ashton Anderson, former town sweetheart and prodigal son of rancher Clint Anderson, has finally returned home. Where has he been for the last ten years, you ask? Apparently, working a smaller rodeo circuit up north. With his strength and skill, he should have done well, but he has returned battered, bruised, and grieving the loss of his faithful gelding, Dusty. As for the girlfriend who turned down his marriage proposal all those years ago . . .
Kelsey Winters has left her less-than-idyllic past behind. She now helps others as a therapist at the therapeutic riding center outside of town, although her own personal life seems to be a solid mess. She’s tried to be a good older sister to her brother, Darren, but she can’t protect him—or herself—from his poor choices. They’re one bad decision away from homelessness when they’re robbed and Darren is put in jail for possession of a controlled substance.
Due to circumstances beyond their control, Kelsey and Ashton’s long-ago romance resurfaces. But will it leave the gate running, or suffer a colossal wreck?
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