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

Stopping before an inn, Violet tied Maple to the hitching post and looked around. As she lingered in a sea of unfamiliar faces, it dawned on Violet that she had no concrete plan in bringing Mei the Railwalker into custody. She certainly couldn’t demand her criminal follow her back to Redrock nice and quietly. Best case scenario: Mei refused. Worst case scenario…Violet shivered, remembering the ghastly image of Mr. Munts on the floor, bathed in blood.


That’s when Violet spotted a sheriff’s office just down the road from her. Surely if she had the law on her side, she could corner the Railwalkers and justice would be done. Now ignited with new passion, Violet hitched up her riding pants and walked swiftly towards the front door. As she approached, she noticed a deputy lingering on the front porch. Dirt caked his snakeskin boots, his eyes yellow from years of drink. He was currently chewing tobacco, his thumbs hooked into the loops of his suspenders. Violet approached him confidently.


Chapter 18