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 huffed in agitation. “I don’t know, Vi.”


“I know.” She took a deep breath and stopped walking. “The longer we stay, the bigger the risk.” Violet dug her hands in her pockets. She ran her thumb against her wedding ring, and it pleased her to see Mei’s own square on her finger, too. Mei spoke again. “I know you’re anxious to have this over with. Believe me, I know. But I’ve been hunting this man practically my entire life. Since I was fourteen years old, Violet. This has to end here. We haveto make this a perfect kill. If we don’t…it won’t end. It just won’t.”


“I know, Mei. I know.” With one cursory glance around them, Violet stepped forward and took Mei’s hands in the moonlight. She slipped her wife a simple kiss. Perhaps the only one she dared even try around here. “I’m ready for the Railwalkers to die. And I’m ready for our lives to start.”


Chapter 175