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 had been crouched at a river bed for the past half our, stripped down to her trousers and underthings while she tried desperately to scrub the blood from her newly bought shirt. They rode from Van Buren for a good hour before deeming it safe enough to stop and rest. Violet had taken the opportunity to try and wash the deputy’s blood off her new clothes. She reminded herself of a play her mother once took her to see when she was younger. Something about a Scottish king and his mad wife…


Footsteps approached her. Violet looked up and saw Sitting Bear looming above like a great oak tree. Quickly, Violet grabbed her jacket and clutched it around her neck. “You mind?! I ain’t decent!” Sitting Bear, as usual, did not answer. Instead, he crouched down and dug into his satchel. He pulled out a worn, brown box with faded ink. Violet immediately noticed the white powder inside. “Baking soda?” She took the offering with confusion.


Chapter 75