Little Sharpshooter Chap 30

There was no show and they left Monticello early with plans to avoid the whole area around Robber’s Roost. The sheriff placed high rewards on every one of the outlaws with the exception of Roy. Randy had no idea why she left him out. She had already saved him after he saved her.

“If you wounded one like ya said, and they have those bounties on their heads, they aren’t likely to be a threat for a while. They’ll probably stay in hiding. We’re gonna push it to Virginia City here on out.”

In the Utah towns they had tough luck finding men that would bet against her shooting skills. Many were Mormons and against gambling. Bronson had to change his approach. He charged a fee for those who wanted to watch her show off her marksman skills. It brought plenty of attention and the crowds were big, full of men, women, and children. But the income was half of what betting was.

In Salt Lake City, Bronson showed her a flyer at breakfast.

“This is the girl that gave me the idea to turn you into this kind of show.”

It was advertisement for Annie Oakley.

“Her name and claim to fame is growin’ and other girls wantin’ to challenge her are comin’ out of the woodwork. Most of them aren’t any good. I have an idea for when we get to Virginia City. My old friend Roger told me last night that Virginia City’s gold boom is dyin’ and they wanna attract more attention for the town. I have a great idea for when we get there. The momentum has already been buildin’ but I want the name Miranda Carter to be huge and widely advertised everywhere before we get there.”

“What about Clyde and his friends?” Randy asked shifting in her seat. Her appetite quickly disappeared.

“I’ve heard nothin’. The sheriff in Monticello put the word out that if any other sheriff sees them, they are to telegram him. I’ve been sending him telegrams every time we stop and he’s not said a word.”

Randy pushed her plate away and covered her face. She suddenly couldn’t help the tears that spilled from her eyes.

“You don’t have to worry.” Bronson rubbed her shoulder.

“That’s not it.” She struggled to pull herself together. She sucked in a bunch of air in her lungs before she spoke again. “It’s my birthday and I really miss my pa. He always made it special so I tried to ignore it and tell myself it didn’t matter. But it’s not working.”

Bronson patted her arm awkwardly.

Trevor stood up from the table. “Well, I can’t believe you’re just telling me now. At least we aren’t out in the middle of nowhere.” He left.

By the time Trevor caught up to her again it was nearly lunchtime. He had a handful of flowers. “It’s not much but they were hard to find. Happy Birthday.” He kissed her forehead. She hugged him for a long time.

That afternoon Bronson had her perform her show structuring it more in line with what he had read about Annie Oakley. First she shot empty bottles in midair. Next she shot coins tossed in the air that were given to them from spectators. She shot individual playing cards as many times as she could while Trevor counted her shots. The card’s holes almost matched the number of shots every time.

Bronson had her perform twice in Salt Lake City.  He felt he needed to compensate for the lack of money made since they changed the show. That night there was a dance.

“This town is full of do-gooders so there’s no saloon but you both are old enough to attend the dance at the dance hall.” Bronson had cleaned up quite well for their night on the town.

Trevor was almost bouncing on their way into the hall with the waltz and other suitable music filling the large open dance hall. Men and women of all ages swirled around together in the well lit room. He held her hand tight, immediately pulling her onto the dance floor. Randy was uncomfortable with her limp and what would obviously be her lack of skill that would show to everyone there.

His arm slipped around her waist and he effortlessly turned her to face him waiting for her to rest her hand in his. She instantly forgot about all her worries as she smiled and laughed with Trevor as he led her around the dance floor. They lost track of time and the world around them. All that mattered was that it was just the two of them having fun.

On a slow song, Trevor nestled his head against hers and whispered in her ear. “I have been thinking a lot about something. Now that it’s your birthday and you are seventeen and I’ll be eighteen soon, I think I can at least ask you.” He stopped moving so he could see her face. “I want to know if you will marry me?” His face reddened when her eyes filled with tears. He pulled her close again moving faster than the slow music. “Never mind.”

“No. I mean, don’t say never mind.” She turned her mouth up closer to his ear. “I want to say yes. But I want to wait until we get to California. Maybe then we can stop this whole sharpshooter show and can end all this Miranda Carter nonsense. I would be happy if my name would stop being bigger than me.”

“I don’t know about that.” He pulled back to look at her again.

“Well I know.” She rested her cheek on his shoulder.

“You’re really good at performing. Bronson knows it. I’m fine with the shows. Actually, I wouldn’t mind if we married tomorrow morning before we left town.”

“Really? Even with Clyde and Ernie on our tail?”

“Yes.” He kissed her cheek.

When the dance was over, Trevor walked her to her room.

“Happy Birthday.” He studied her face then kissed her before telling her goodnight, leaving her in her room alone. That night he didn’t surprise her by coming to her room. Just as well, there were too many people giving them scrutinizing looks when he kissed her in the dance hall anyway.

The push to Virginia City drove them across the hot desert in a hurry. With fewer towns between Salt Lake and Virginia City, they slept out under the night sky more often than they would have liked. Soon enough they were making the climb up the steep grades to the mountain gold rush town.

A steady amount of wagon traffic and riders on horses passed in both directions as the three of them traveled up the narrow, steep grades of the winding mountain road. They had to launch the horses into the sagebrush once when an out of control wagon barreled down the road with the driver screaming at everyone to clear the way. Before they reached Virginia City, they passed through a couple of small towns that lined the road perched on the steep hillside. The one just before the even steeper climb into Virginia City was Gold Hill. There were only a few fancy well-kept buildings. Train tracks crossed the road and wound down the hill. When the train whistle screamed as it descended the mountain, Randy jumped. Al started to bolt. He pranced in a circle while she reined him in tight when the train rattled the ground as it crossed the road. Once it was gone, they headed up the road covered in deep wagon ruts that gave their horses trouble as they climbed the last steep grade into town.

Once the mountain flattened out, the buildings were lined up straight down the road. It was almost like Silver City but far more compact with the buildings tight together along the street with a steep descent to the right. Houses stretched out on the flat expanse below. On the left was a steep climb with more businesses on the side of the mountain before it was too steep as the mountain peak rose above the town. Randy was taking in the amazing sight of being in the fancy mountain city that she almost missed the poster with her name on it.

Randy stopped in the middle of the road to read the poster. ‘Can’t Miss It. Two Girl Sharpshooters, The Famous Annie Oakley and Rising Star Miranda Carter Challenge Each Other For the Title of Best Lady Sharpshooter in the West.’

“What is that?” Randy’s cheeks were on fire as she pointed at the poster.

“I know I told ya what we were comin’ here for.” Bronson didn’t stop.

“Why a poster? How long has this been advertised?” Fire was building in her chest and her hands were sweating.

“Long enough to make this a big deal. You’ll have time to rest. It’s in a few days from now.” Bronson wouldn’t look at her.

Randy clenched her teeth. She glared at the back of Bronson’s head, trying to kill him with her stare and saw nothing else until he stopped in front of the grandest hotel in town. Randy slid off Al and stood beside Trevor with their jaws wide open as they took in the International Hotel. Several stories high and very elaborate sat the fanciest of hotels on the corner of C street, right across from the Grand Opera house.

“That’s too nice for us to stay in.” Randy shook her head in nervous disbelief.

“I have a contact here that has arranged all this for us. They get a piece of the profit from the show and they have provided a suite for us to stay in. We will be in their nicest set of rooms on the top floor. They expect the show to bring in hundreds of people.

“The thing is, the gold boom that built this town is dyin’ out. People are leavin’. The town is doin’ what it can to bring in business. Our little proposition since we’ve been performin’ and makin’ your name famous is just what they’re looking for. Annie Oakley has been all the rage and in great demand. In fact Buffalo Bill has a travelin’ Wild West Show and he has been doin’ his best to woo her into joinin’ it because she’s a grand performer. Puttin’ you two against each other for the title of ‘Best Lady Sharpshooter in the West’ is a goldmine of its own to these people. And to us.” Bronson was about to say something else but he shut his mouth before he went on. “Besides, we don’t have to pay for anythin’ while we stay here until after the show. In the suite they will even bring us all our meals. So, Randy, you don’t have to be gawked at during dinner if you don’t want to. I do expect ya to roam the town so people can meet ya and get excited to watch ya. You’re younger than Annie and if you can win the title, it will make ya famous not just in the West but across the country.”

Randy wrung her hands as she listened to Bronson. His enthusiasm wasn’t quite rubbing off on her. The suite was the only thing that appealed to her. She turned to take Al to the stables where she’d seen them when they came to town.

“Where ya goin? They have a livery stable behind the hotel that’s for the guests. Come on.”

Randy held Trevor’s hand as she took in the grand luxury of the hotel. With overstuffed chairs scattered around the massive lobby, and incredible gold details on the ceiling, she felt completely out of place. Nothing like the quaint little boarding houses and small hotels they had been staying in. Salt Lake had nice hotels but they only admired them on the outside when they passed them on the street.

They climbed a ridiculous number of stairs to the top floor. Out the windows of the suite they could see the entire city with the mountains circling around it. The main room was a fancy sitting room. There was a bedroom to the right and another to the left.

The bellboy waited at the door. When Bronson realized what he was waiting for, he handed the boy a note and the bellboy finally left.

“That’s the thing about these places. You have to tip all the help.” Bronson plopped down in a chair and stretched out his legs, resting them on a table. “But I could get use to it real quick.”

Bronson was restless after he had a chance rest and to clean up. “This town is full of opportunities and I suspect it’s gonna be good to us. I have high dollar whiskey to sample and women to find. You two stay outta trouble.” He pointed at one and then the other.

They nodded innocently. Once he was gone, Trevor chased Randy around the room until he had her pinned on the bed. She was giggling until he kissed her. The flutter in her chest and the tingles to her toes never got old as she laced her fingers in his. It was dark outside but the bustle from the activity of the city filtered through the open window into the room. Loud music from a dance hall reached the window.

“Let’s see what a grand dance hall in this town looks like. It sounds like the music is far better than any we have heard yet.” Trevor pulled Randy up off the bed and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her close. He ran his fingers lightly over the skin on her neck giving her chills. “You should change into the really fancy outfit you hate so much.” He let her go so she could change.

“Why do you think I should wear this?” Randy asked through the closed door as she buttoned the large velvet covered buttons on the front and adjusted the neckline.

“Because you look like you belong here in it. You look more like a woman and not a buttoned up school girl.”

When Randy stepped out of the bedroom after she adjusted the bottom of the bodice, she flushed when she laid eyes Trevor in his clean white shirt with rolled up sleeves. He wore a really nice fitted vest over it. He had tamed his unruly curls.

Randy’s heart raced. She admired him and couldn’t help smiling as she hooked her arm in his. He escorted out the hotel to the dance hall. She clung to his arm and couldn’t take her eyes off him as he behaved like the perfect gentleman and danced with her until she thought her feet would fall off.

Another young gentleman asked her to dance once they had seated themselves to rest. Randy raised her eyebrows at Trevor. He nodded for her to go ahead. “We need to see how well you get along with others.” He winked.

Quite shy, she rested one hand lightly on the young man’s shoulder and the other in his hand. Randy allowed him to lead her around the room.

“I’m Seamus O’Brien,” he said with an accent that Randy had never heard before.

“I’m Ran …Uh … Miranda Carter,” she said softly.

Seamus pulled away so he could look at her face. “The Miranda Carter that’s to challenge Annie Oakley?” He asked in disbelief.

“I guess,” she answered timidly.

“That’s gonna be some show. Everyone is talking ‘bout it and betting on who will win.”

“That figures.” She sighed.

“Should I bet on you or Annie?” he asked good-naturedly.

“I don’t know much about her so I don’t know. I do know I’m a good shot.”

“I’m honored to say I’ve met you then.”

“Where are ya from? I’ve never heard your accent before.”

“I’m from Ireland.”

“Where’s that?”

“Very far from here. I arrived by boat to New York City two years ago and came all the way out here to see if I could make my fortune. Still working on that.”

Seamus went on for some time about his country, how green it was, and his disappointment of life in the desert. Randy stopped listening when she thought she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. The dance ended and before she had a chance to find Trevor, she was asked to dance by Roy Parker. The excitement and fun she had all night turned into a dreadful tight knot. She searched the bobbing sea of people for Trevor while Roy led her around the room with his arm hooked tight against her waist.

“Your little boyfriend is having a dance with a young lady. She’s led him to the other side of the hall. I have a way of convincin’ polite young ladies to lead your boy astray.”

Randy pushed away from Roy.

“Don’t worry. I just wanted to talk to you undisturbed. I just paid her to dance with him. Nothin’ more. Not like last time. No one else is here. At least not yet.” He held her tighter. “I don’t see why Clyde has such a hatred for you. If ya didn’t go by the name Carter, I’m sure he would see what I see.”

“What do you see?” Randy was cautious not to look him in the eye. She desperately looked for Trevor in the crowd. Surely he would recognize Roy.

“I see a pretty young lady with a tremendous amount of spirit and courage. I like that in a girl.” He brought her hand closer to his shoulder. His cheek with his blonde whiskers bristled against hers as he spoke softly in her ear. “Clyde got Ernie outta jail. He’s collected every outlaw that ever had it out for your pa and they’re all headed here. Somehow word of your little show has spread all the way to Silver City. They’ve all had plenty of time ta get here while you’ve been stoppin’ to perform on your way here.”

Randy’s throat closed off and she could barely breathe. “Why are ya tellin’ me this?” she croaked.

“Because I like ya. I like ya a lot. You don’t deserve what Clyde has in store for ya.”

“Should I leave?” Randy asked him, blinking back tears.

“No. They won’t get here in time for the show anyway. Ya have a heads up. Do what ya gotta do to get ready. Tell the law. I wouldn’t break the law here. There’s too many of them around right now.” The song ended. “Oh, and just so ya know, people are already callin’ me Butch.” Roy, or Butch as he was called now, didn’t let go right away. He leaned into her cheek and kissed her lightly. “I couldn’t help myself. Ya seem to bring out the good in me. I’ll catch up with ya later.” He winked, looked up, and turned away disappearing in the crowd just as Trevor rested his hand on her arm, startling her.

“You look shaken.” Trevor said.

“I am.” Randy turned into his chest and rested her head on his shoulder.