Ruth Hanson

America, 1887. In a country healing from the horrors of the Civil War, the American West has never been more treacherous. Evil men do as they please, and the often faulty and corrupt justice system does little to nothing to help their victims. Enter the Railwalkers. Bandits whose only goal is to punish those whom the law has allowed to walk free. Some think they're an 28 legend, meant to scare would-be criminals into submission. Some see them as no different than the murderers they kill, while to others, they are angels of mercy. To Violet Donovan, they are family. Growing up as the sole heiress to the sizable Donovan estate, Violet's place of privilege allowed her wild spirit to flourish. Despite the pressures of her sex -- find a husband, stay pretty, have children, be subservient, don't speak out of line -- Violet is passionate, loud, stubborn, and untamed. However, at the ripe, marriageable age of twenty, Violet faces the fact that she may have to give in to her mother's wishes and marry mean, ugly Eustace Carpenter, the only other family name in their little town with comparable worth. But Violet's life changes forever when she is saved from an attacker by a strange woman. A woman who, like Violet, doesn't exactly fit the mold. Unfortunately Violet gets mixed up in a murder charge and has to leave everything she knows for a life on the run from the law. Through divine intervention, she and the woman cross paths again, and Violet comes to know her and her comrades. They are Mei Wong, Linus Cooper, Sitting Bear, and Rory McNab. The infamous Railwalker gang.

The Railwalkers

Violet slept in intervals of two or three hours a piece. Exhausted from the day, she fell asleep quickly, only to see images of blood and the feeling of something tight around her neck. Each time, she awoke with a start, her skin slick with sweat. The fourth time she woke, Violet sat up in bed. Her blankets and nightdress were both soaked. Violet dragged herself to her washbowl and wiped herself down. She changed clothes, but didn’t feel like crawling back into bed. When before she could barely keep her eyes open, now she was restless. Violet looked at the clock on her wall. It was nearly three-thirty in the morning. She contemplated going out to her horses when she heard footsteps in the kitchen.


Chapter 15