Fire Water & Boom Sticks - western - F for M character

[lore]

I've been hankering for a tale set in the grit and glory of the fabled west. This story can have grim realism but ultimately will relate more to the fantasy of the west than to historical accuracy.

The broad strokes of the introduction: Two strangers' fates intertwine when their stage coach breaks down in the middle of nowhere. They find themselves sitting around a fire with a handful of strangers. The driver is on edge. When pressed about it, he admits he believes the coach was tampered with - why is anyone's guess.

She: a woman too old to be traveling without a husband in tow.  She might be a widow. She might be a run away bride. Hell, she might be hitched to one of these ugly bastards lurking around the fire. Bundled in a heavy poncho, nursing a bottle of whiskey - she doesn't seem that out of place among the men. There's an ease about her - a quiet confidence beneath that wily head of raven hair.

Him: you're welcome to keep him as shrouded in mystery as you like! Ideally he's rugged.

I'm a quality over quantity writer with post lengths that vary.

Class just let out for me so I expect to be active.