Rusty is a forest ranger. He is well-groomed at all times. He always looks clean cut and sharp with his shirt tucked in and his hat on just so. He takes pride in his appreance (costume, props, etc.) and likes to impress the ladies at the diner with his uniform.
His family was originally from New York, but they moved to the rural mountain area when Rusty was a child in order to get away from the urban influence. They wanted him to grow up with small-town values.
His real name is actually Russell, but he got stuck with the nickname Rusty in high school after his prize motorcycle was ruined when he left it outside during a harsh spring storm in his junior year. He good-naturedly accepted the teasing and never told anyone why his motorcycle was stuck out there in the terrible weather. The truth was that he was helping a fragile elderly neighbor rescue her puppy from drowning in the creek. The woman’s family had told her that she would be put away in a nursing home and the puppy would be taken away from her if she ever let it get into any danger. Rusty could not bear to see the woman lose her companion and the home that she had lived in for 40 years so he kept the incident a secret to protect her.
Rusty always makes up an excuse as to why they need to see Dr. Brooks. It’s a little bit of hypochondria mixed with a whole lot of Maggie-infatuation. He does pester her, but in a sweet way, not an obnoxious one.
He likes to remind Seth that he is the “senior officer” on the mountain whenever they get into a disagreement about how to do something. (Of course, they are both always wrong, so it doesn’t really make any difference who is in charge.) The humorous thing is that Rusty and Seth were both hired at the same time. Rusty got to be the senior officer by five minutes only because Seth was too lazy to start filling out the personnel paperwork so Rusty finished his first.
Rusty’s appreance (costume, props, etc.):
1. ranger hat
2. hiking boots
3. shirt tucked in
