Brett Shayler

As Thomas runs on the wind-scoured frontier, the authorities want him for robberies he swore were only meant to save his dying mother. With a relentless Pinkerton agent named Samuel closing in and Christmas drawing near, Thomas rides west toward the promise of Billy The Kid's gang, hoping numbers can hide a guilty man. But a dangerous shortcut called the Serpent's Coil delivers him to something he never expected: a stubborn farm family clinging to hymns, candlelight, and hard-earned kindness in the middle of winter.
In their orbit are Chris-an old traveler with a wagon and a steady way of seeing through a man-and the sisters Molly and Lily, whose fierce loyalty and simple hope tug at the parts of Thomas he's tried to bury. As the hunt tightens, Thomas must choose what he's willing to become to survive-and whether a single night of peace can change a life built on desperation.