T'was the week before Christmas and all through the ranch, not a creature was stirring--because Shad Parker would fill it full of buckshot. Embittered by the loss of his wife and children in the Civil War, Shad relocated his sorry self to Gilead, Texas, where he planted a "Do Not Trespass" sign on his land, his heart, and his soul. Intruders, beware... Enter the Coats children: three scrappy runaways from the Faith, Hope, and Charity orphanage. Austin, Pet, and Davy are hiding out in a cave on Shad's land. When the lonely rancher begrudgingly saves their lives, he's stuck taking them in. But when a gang of bank robbers show up, they're going to need a Christmas miracle--to stay alive 'til New Year's...