Darly

Darly is Pace's sixty-eight-year-old ranch hand. Like Hattie, he comes from the East Coast. Darly inadvertently causes Hattie to break her arm, but he never apologizes for his mistake. Throughout the story, he and Hattie are seen as behaving antagonistically toward each other, each annoyed by the others' tacit accusations of being a drunk. In reality, they are uncomfortable with the mirror image each presents to the other.

Pace

Pace, one of Hattie's neighbors, runs a dude ranch. He offers to help Hattie out by giving her a monthly stipend, but only in return for her leaving the house to him after her death.

Helen Rolfe

Helen Rolfe is a neighbor of Hattie's. She and her retired husband live comfortably, able to afford such luxuries as new cars and vacations. She is Hattie's friend, but Hattie also harbors resentment toward her for her life of relative ease.

Jerry Rolfe