1864 Colorado Territory On a small ranch sitting between empty prairie and the Rocky Mountains, an orphaned boy named Charlie is alone, caring for his dying, comatose grandpa. As Charlie tries to figure out how to survive the winter, when he doesn't even know how to chop firewood. Soon after Charlie barely escapes a bear attack, the first snow storm hits, and a mysterious mountain man shows up at the isolated ranch. Then good things--and mysterious things--start happening. But Charlie is troubled by a gnawing secret, which makes it hard for him to trust the giant stranger. Then, on Christmas day, Charlie learns that trusting means he'll never have to be alone again. An entertaining, inspirational story for all ages. Book #1 in the Mysterious Ways Four-Book Series of Frontier Fiction by Donna Westover Gallup.