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

Mei rang the bell at the front desk, and a tiny woman with frizzled hair came out to greet them. She and Mei made small talk as she pulled out her guest book. “…came at the right time,” she was saying. “That new railway is bound to bring in a lot of workers from outside the city. Got to get while the gettin’s good.” Mei signed in the book and handed the pen to Violet to do the same. Out of curiosity, she read the line above her.


A smile tickled Violet’s face as she signed.


Linus signed with his own fake name, and when Sitting Bear entered, was given a line as well. The landlady blew the ink dry and handed two sets of keys over. “One for the gentlemen,” she said, “and one for the ladies. We are, after all, a proper establishment, you understand.”


Chapter 168