Characters

**Taylor Greer** – Originally named Marietta Greer, Taylor changed her name after a town she passed on her grand road trip to the west. A spunky girl in her early 20s, she left her hick town in Pittman County, Kentucky, for the adventure of a lifetime. Smart, sassy, and full of life, she unofficially adopts an orphaned Indian girl she picks up in Oklahoma and settles down in Arizona. There she finds refuge in a vegetable garden behind a used tire shop and becomes best friends with a recent divorcée named Lou Ann. **Turtle** – “Turtle” is Taylor’s nickname for the little girl she finds at a bar in Oklahoma. A Cherokee woman gave Taylor a bundle of blankets, in which she was wrapped. Her name comes from a type of mud turtle that clings to rocks. Turtle, who was physically and sexually abused as a baby, is very silent and detached. She can’t speak or connect with people; she just holds unto them, too afraid to let go. She slowly begins to open up to Taylor and inspires everyone around her to forgive past abuses, and learn to trust and love again. **Lou Ann Ruiz** – When her former-rodeo star husband walks out on her and their infant son, Dwayne Ray, Lou Ann Ruiz starts searching for a roommate to share her humble Tucson home. That is how she meets Taylor. The two women are very similar; they both hail from Kentucky and they both sport the same spunky, southern girl attitude. But Lou Ann also yields to many fears. She is extremely protective of her son and almost paranoid of common objects that always seem to threaten his life. Her genuine, innocent concern shows how much she loves her son, and Lou Ann becomes Taylor’s mentor and friend as they both learn how to juggle life with the responsibilities of having children. **Mattie** – Mattie owns the mechanic shop near Lou Ann’s home called Jesus Is Lord Used Tires. The peculiar name alludes to the store’s double function as a refuge for Native American/Hispanic refugees. Mattie is a beacon of strength and wisdom in Taylor’s life. She introduces Taylor to her garden of “bean trees” and the hope they represent. **Estevan and Esperanza** – A young Guatemalan couple who left their home country after their daughter was kidnapped by a corrupt government terrorist association. Taylor falls in love with the handsome and kind Estevan. She also learns from his gentle wife Esperanza what it is to lose a loved one, and how one must forgive to live again.