Pronto Pike and his partner Eddie Holt follow the trail of rustlers who are raiding the Bar J Ranch and who are so ruthless that they have no qualms about murdering a woman. Pronto Pike had punched longhorns along the Rio Grande and ridden the rails back East, but he'd never been in a spot like this before. It had begun with a bitter standoff between a powerful rancher and a homesteading Irishman. It escalated into missing cattle, overlaid brands, and the arrival of a whole lot of folks itching to shoot one another. Now Pronto and his partner, Eddie Holt, are holed up in a line cabin against a rugged Montana winter, waiting for their enemies to come. And when they do, the final battle will begin on Hanging Woman Creek. Barnabus Pike is no gunfighter and not much of a street fighter. Eddie Holt is a black boxer in a white man's world. They've both taken their share of hard knocks. Now they're looking to survive a brutal winter in a remote Montana line shack, collect their pay, and settle down for good. Then they cross paths with a hardworking Irish immigrant and his beautiful, spirited sister, who've been burned off their land. It's a fight Pike and Holt don't want, don't need, and don't dare turn their backs on--especially when one of the perpetrators might be one of Pike's old friends. Hunted like animals across the frozen countryside, Pike and Holt will risk everything--including their reputations, their dreams, and their lives.