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

In a small plaza courtyard, fenced off by brick and plank, was the wedding procession. No longer marching, they were all sitting around a massive table, full to the brim with hot food and endless drink. A musician sat in the corner, singing and playing on a strange, long-necked guitar. At the head sat the bride and groom, both done up in brilliant red. She watched as the groom gently fed his bride with chopsticks. They, and the families around them, were all smiles. Violet felt a sudden pang in her heart as she observed the happy couple. A strange idea filled her head. It was an embarrassing thought, which took Violet by surprise. After everything, she didn’t know if she couldfeel embarrassed, yet the idea was a childish one. Like a little girl wanting to play house. She wondered, as she looked at the newlyweds, what it might feel like to be at the head of that table, eating and drinking and laughing, with Mei beside her.


Chapter 169