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

Defeated, Violet sat on the deck next to Maple’s hitching post. Head in her hands, she propped her elbows on her knees and stared at the dirt. Will I ever see home again?she thought. Can I? Is it even home anymore…?Surrounded by so many people, Violet never felt more alone in her life.


Squeak. Squeak. Sque-eak. Squeak.Uneven, tin wheels slowly rolled along her deck. At first, Violet almost didn’t notice them, until the cart was directly behind her. Blinking, she looked over her shoulder as the tin cart passed. A pile of furs, tanned and rolled and tied, was tucked into a child’s hand cart. The child in question was pulling it, one handed, further into the town. Though he was turned away, Violet was struck with familiarity at the boy’s striking, red hair. With everything else that happened, young Rory McNab was driven far from her memory. And now, there he was, feet away from her, wheeling a wagon full of furs down the street.


Chapter 19