If you’ve two-stepped your way through all 10 episodes of Ransom Canyon’s first season, you’ve already had the pleasure of meeting Lucas Russell. Now, get to know the man behind the boy next door.

“Playing Lucas, I got to become the cowboy that I’ve always dreamed of being,” actor Garrett Wareing tells TVLine. The full-circle role also brought him back to Texas, having grown up in College Station before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. “Funny enough, this dream brought me right back to my roots, which I think is pretty cool,” he says.

The self-proclaimed “small-town kid” spent his childhood on ranches, surrounded by horses and cows. And if all goes according to plan, he’ll end up right back where he started. “My dream after all of this is to have my own farm one day,” he says. “It runs in my blood, this Texas lifestyle.”

A misunderstood dreamer with a huge heart, Lucas is the kind of guy you can’t help but root for, especially when it comes to his Romeo and Juliet-esque relationship with cheerleader Lauren.

“In some ways, Lucas represents that idealistic, all-American boy next door, and the same exists within Lauren,” Wareing says. “It’s always nice to watch a good love story, and to be able to bring that to life was an honor. What you see on screen between Lizzy Greene and I was true. I got to go to work every day with my best friend, and she’s talented as hell. She made me a better actor because she is who she is, and I’m so thankful to her.”

And nothing says true love like a little skinny-dipping! “It was cold, I’ll say that,” Wareing recalls of Lucas’ bold romantic gesture. “It was freezing cold. It was actually a really fun, sweet day. I’m all about body positivity. I look for a good challenge, and that was a wonderful challenge that I accepted with open arms.”

You probably also found yourself surprisingly invested in Lucas’ unexpected friendship with Lauren’s ex-boyfriend Reid, which is exactly what Wareing and co-star Andrew Liner were hoping for.

“Drew and I really wanted to build out what a modern bromance could look like,” Wareing explains. “Most of the friends in my life, we go through patches, we get over hurdles, and I think you become closer together because you overcome these hurdles. Seeing that represented between two men on screen was nice to be able to play.”

But one of his “biggest honors” of the season, Wareing says, was getting to be on set for an exciting cameo in Episode 9. “There’s a character named Billy Brinks, and you might miss it if you’re not an eagle-eyed viewer, but he’s played by Dan Reynolds, who is [Minka Kelly’s] partner and also the lead singer of Imagine Dragons,” Wareing explains. “That was a really cool moment for me.”

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So, what’s next for the goodest boy in all of Ransom Canyon? The finale ends with Lucas receiving acceptance letters from several prestigious universities, but Wareing is more interested in matters closer to home.

Although “the trajectory of Lucas is to be determined,” Wareing says he “would love to see a mysterious character from his past come back into play.” More specifically, he’d like to meet Lucas and Kit’s father, someone about whom we still know very little. “I would love to see how that could shake things up in Ransom Canyon if he returns.”

Also on Lucas’ to-do list for a potential second season: “I’d like to have some scenes with Yancy and Quinn, and I’d love to ride more horses,” Wareing says. “And I’d love to skinny dip again.”