Billy Parham's younger brother. Bold and impulsive where Billy is cautious - a particular dynamic the long second half of The Crossing follows with careful, unhurried attention.

Billy and Boyd's father, a quiet, competent rancher in the Peloncillo Mountains of New Mexico. He teaches Billy to set wolf traps and ride the high country - one of the small instructional debts the Parham boys carry with them through the wider country The Crossing eventually takes them into.

Billy and Boyd's mother, a practical ranch woman who keeps the Parham household running in the Peloncillo Mountains of New Mexico. A small, careful steady presence at the centre of the boys' early life.