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

By the time they reached Grammy’s property, the weather had taken a severe turn for the worse. What was once a few half inches of sleet, began to grow into feet of snow. Rather than try and camp in the freezing cold, the Railwalkers kept torches lit for warmth, and soldiered on through the night, with only a small, dented compass to guide them. Thankfully, it took less than two days to reach their destination, and when Sitting Bear pointed out smoke coming from a cobble stone chimney, they did everything but drop to their feet and full run for the front door. The property was tucked away into a snowy hillside, surrounded by thick pine trees, all covered with ice. While it was difficult to make out the details through the blustering wind, Violet noted two distinct buildings: a single log cabin, and a larger barn behind it. The property was less than a few acres as a whole, encircled by a rotting post fence, bitten by frost.


Chapter 146