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

Jumping off Maple, Violet knelt beside the river and splashed her face with big handfuls of water. She drank tirelessly, and soon after filled her canteen until the bubbles died out. “How many days till we get to where we’re goin’?”


“Could be two weeks,” said Mei. “Maybe a bit longer.” She also joined Violet at the river, filling her canister with water. “Definitely before the worst of the summer heat.” Sitting Bear led the horses to water, and he and Rory dipped their hands and faces in, washing the road from their skin. Mei lifted her head and addressed Sitting Bear. “Think here’s safe enough?”


Sitting Bear observed the area. “We are between two nations,” he said. He pointed north. “Cherokee.” He pointed south, down the path before them. “Choctaw. I cannot assume either place is any safer.”


“Fair enough.” Mei stood and dusted off her pants. “Let’s sit a spill and get some food in our bellies. We’ll make camp at nightfall.”


Chapter 80