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

Once she was set up, she was assigned a tent, though not exactly in the same area as the rest of the men. She was put up with a young Chinese wife and her baby girl. It wasn’t ideal, given how far it was from the main building of the train yard, but Violet wouldn’t complain. It was safer for her to blend in with the women anyhow. The last thing she needed was some tough rail worker getting drunk and frisky and Violet having to blow the poor bastard’s head off. It was an easy way to lose her cover. The work, as promised, was grueling. Although it was only the first day, there was much to set up and move aside before any construction could even happen. Violet joined a line of pickers, who dutifully broke rocks and dug trenches in preparation for the new track. Violet kept up but didn’t expend unnecessary energy. Fortunately, there weren’t many of her fellow workers who expected much out of her. This let Violet use her wits to keep track of everything in her new surroundings.


Chapter 174