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 stared at her scuffed boots. She pulled them from her feet, and rolled off her sweaty socks. Pant cuffs hoisted to her knees, she scooted forward and laid her feet in the cool water. Tiny fish scuttled off as she dug her toes into the clay. How often did she take such beauty for granted? How often did she ignore the life around her? Life, with its fragile nature, that could so easily be ended, how often did she ignore her fortune? Violet laid flat on the ground, and watched the clouds move slowly above her.


Violet was left to her thoughts for some time. She was unsure how long it was, but if it wasn’t for her buzzing mind, sleep would have taken her a while ago. It was then through the silence that she heard the hollow sound of thick horse hooves. Violet didn’t turn to know that Mei had come looking for her.


Chapter 130