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

When supper was over, the Railwalkers headed out towards the back barn. Immediately, Violet noticed its size. There were sections on the outer walls that looked newer than the rest, and near the back was a tin smokestack, its cone top covered with snow. Opening the barn doors, Violet got a better look of the inside. The horses were kept to the right in individual stables, each one covered in thick blankets. A firepit sat tucked away in the left corner, encased by tin walls. Sitting Bear, who grabbed a few logs from Grammy’s cabin, immediately went to get the fire started. There were three beds, stuffed with hay and layered with dust, an empty ice box, some unused kitchen plates, and a rickety old table in the center. Oil lamps surrounded the living area, and the floor had a healthy layer of crunchy hay beneath their feet. It was the most unusual barn Violet had the pleasure to see.


Chapter 147