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

The rest of the afternoon, the Railwalkers were isolated. Their dinner consisted of a few stale pieces of bread and watery gravy, accompanied by tin mugs of water. The cell was stiflingly hot. Blocked off completely from any natural breeze, the air was stale, and by four, Violet’s clothes were slick with sweat. Additionally, the dry atmosphere chalked up her throat. She nursed her cup of water for as long as she could. Even when the tin was bone dry, Violet occasionally put her lips to the edge, as if to siphon any remaining moisture that might have been hidden within. While they were left to their confinement, Violet dwelled on what had bothered her since that morning.


“I hope Rory’s all right,” she finally croaked. “Granted, I’m good and thankful that he don’t gotta suffer this with us, but—” She shook her head. “It’s so hot. And Rory, all alone…He don’t got nothing to eat, nothing to fight with.” She stopped when Mei laid a hand on her shoulder.


Chapter 114