Annie Oakley arrived in the morning to much fanfare. Bronson pushed Randy to the front of the train station where a crowd had gathered. The mayor made a huge production of introducing the famed sharpshooter to everyone. Bronson and his new best friend in town, Ely Brown that had organized the competition, pulled Randy onto the platform.
"This is Annie Oakley's challenger. Sixteen-year-old Miranda Carter. Daughter of the famed Texas Ranger, James Carter. Raised with a pistol on her hip from the time she could walk," Ely shouted with his booming voice to the crowd when the mayor gave him an opportunity to introduce her.
She wrinkled her nose at the thought of toddling with a gun holster on her hip.
"That is not the most attractive face." Bronson whispered in her ear.
"But I'm seventeen." She glared at him.
"I didn't know you was gonna change ages on the way here," he said with his teeth pressed together and broad smile across his face while his hands rested on her shoulders. He gave her a push in Annie's direction.
Randy tried not to limp as she reached for Annie's outstretched hand. Randy had to look down some at the small framed woman with long dark hair. She didn't give off the look that she could handle a gun. That must be the appeal. But Annie smiled warmly at Randy and she couldn't help but return the warm greeting. The crowd cheered. Randy decided she could easily be friends with her opponent. She wondered if anyone would let her.
"The competition will start in two days with an afternoon show followed by an evening show to give the best lady an opportunity to win."
The crowd erupted again with cheers and applause as the mayor stood between the two of them and raised their arms in the air.
"This has brought quite the crowd to Virginia City this weekend. I think we need to get the reporters to sit with you both for an early morning edition. Definitely front page news here," the mayor said.
"I believe my wife needs some time to settle in at the hotel first before she is swept into publicity. I assure you once she has time to rest from the long train ride, she will be prepared to make herself available to reporters."
Annie turned to Randy while her husband continued to speak with the mayor about his publicity plans. "I would love to visit with you too before we have to meet in competition."
"Do you think they'll allow it?" Randy kept an eye on Bronson as he hovered near Ely, and the mayor as they discussed plans with Annie's husband.
"It doesn't matter. We're the main attraction. I would just refuse to put on a show if I can't get to know the young lady I get to perform with." Annie smiled with dancing eyes. "I'm pretty sure they put us up at the same hotel as you so I will find you later and we can plan to meet after those two are satisfied we've filled our promotional duties." Annie rested her hand gently on Randy's arm before her husband collected her to return to the hotel.
What took place next was a whirlwind of questions from several reporters asking her about how she came to be so skilled and about her pa. She evaded every question about the location of her pa and let them know it was with his blessing she was there. It flustered her as they persisted until Bronson stepped in.
"The location of her pa is not to be shared when he is called into service. Miranda has been trusted into my care. I'm her manager. We've built her a career on bein' the best little sharpshooter in the west." With his protective hands on her shoulders, he pulled her back into his chest. "I don't want her tired out so we should wrap this up."
The reporters avoided questions about her pa after that. They wanted to know what to expect during competition. Randy couldn't tell them much about what they were about to witness. She just didn't know.
"If we give away the show now then there wouldn't be much reason for anyone to come and see for themselves now is there?" He buffered the rest of the questions and led her back to the hotel.
"I hate that." Randy complained adjusting the bodice of her dress. She had to wear the same one she wore to the dance the night before.
Trevor has been watching from the boardwalk and caught up to them. "Wow! They are really excited for the showdown between you two."
"I don't know why. It's just a bunch of silly gun shootin'." Randy frowned as she kicked a rock on the road.
"By a couple of girls! She looks as young as you." Trevor nearly bounced on his toes as he kept up beside them.
"She's not. Annie is twenty-four so if Randy could show her up that would be somethin'. That girl's been performin' since she was sixteen," Bronson said as they climbed the stairs to the hotel.
"How do you know all this? You didn't spend any time talkin' to her." Randy glared at Bronson.
"How do you think I got the idea for ya to show your stuff to any man that would pay his hard earned money to beat a girl?" He pulled an advertisement out of his pocket and unfolded it to show Randy. There were more details on it than the one he showed her in Salt Lake City about Annie Oakley and her vaudeville act.
"She can't even really read that well and they make a good livin'," Bronson nodded at the footman that held the door open for them.
The next day Bronson took Trevor to help set up where they were going to hold the show. "You can't come until Annie comes. They want to make sure there ain't any unfair advantages."
"That's ridiculous. You two would be more likely cheat than me." Randy didn't protest much more. She wanted to catch up with Annie. Once they were gone Randy waited patiently outside the door of their suite. It didn't take long for Annie and her husband to exit their room down the hall.
"I don't think I got to introduce my husband to you properly. This is Frank Butler," Annie said.
Frank extended his hand.
. "He's not Oakley?" Randy looked at Annie confused and she shook his hand.
"No. That's my stage name." Annie smiled. Her rifle rested on her shoulder and Frank carried a shotgun. Annie had her gun holster on around her waist and her name was stamped on the leather and elaborately colored. "We are headed to the east side of town to practice. We would love it you would meet us there. They say to follow E street down until it starts to head down the mountain out of town. There's a good place where we can fire off all the rounds we want.
"The air is thinner here from the altitude so practice would be wise." Frank's friendly smile was as warm as Annie's.
"I want to get to know you better but you shouldn't leave with us. Come later and see if you can find a route that is less direct to find us." Annie laced her fingers in Frank's and they headed down the stairs.
Randy couldn't stop smiling as she hurried to collect her saddle and guns. She raced as fast as she could with her bum leg down the stairs to the stable to saddle up Al and headed south instead of north to go a round-about way to the end of E street.
Randy found them easily following the sound of gunshots. She hesitated to approach when Annie shot at what looked like the post but a piece of card flew up and she continued to shoot. Frank retrieved the piece of card and held it up to the sun.
"You missed one," he said.
Annie turned and waved at Randy to come over.
Randy dismounted, and overcome with shyness, led Al over.
"Miranda, what a beautiful horse." Annie admired Al.
"He has a lot of attitude." She held his snout still so Annie could pet his head. Al snorted a huge exhale but held his head still. "By the way, I prefer to go by Randy. Bronson insists on usin' my whole name."
"Well, I think Randy suits you better," Frank said picking up torn cards off the ground.
"I didn't see you shoot anything until half the card flew up." Randy looped Al's reins over a fence rail.
"The card was sideways on the post. I can shoot the card in half and I keep shooting until it hits the ground."
"I haven't tried it that way before."
Annie and Randy examined and admired each other's guns.
"Why are you a sharpshooter? You didn't seem to enjoy being introduced to the crowd," Annie asked as she studied the engraving on Randy's pistol.
"It was all Bronson's idea, to make a fortune on my skills. I guess he read about ya. When he realized my name was bringin' the outlaws out of the woodwork, he used that to catch them and collect the reward money. I'm usually not just shootin' for fun. I tend to have to watch out for my life."
"That would take the fun out of it. Why are you always in danger?" Annie asked. Randy told her how her pa died and everything that had taken place since.
"I wouldn't want to do what I do if that were to happen after my shows. For me it has been different. I learned how to shoot so I could help care for my ma and my brothers and sisters after my pa died. It was survival for us or starve. I was sent away to tend other people's children and they were unkind to me. I couldn't sit around wiping snotty noses and learn to sew while dodging attention from the man of the house. That wasn't for me. I convinced my ma to bring me back home once she married again. I started selling the game I shot to people in town and made some money. Then everyone started to talk about how good of a shot I was. I wasn't shy about it. I liked to show off. One of the shopkeepers convinced me to go to Cincinnati to a competition. There were no girls, just a bunch of men shooting against Frank here. He was known to be a pretty a keen shot. That was until he met me. I beat him. That's when he fell in love with me."
"What made you love him back?"
"I guess I needed someone to love me like he did. I felt I could do anything when I was with him. I also didn't think there would be a man that could love me and not expect me to be the perfect little homemaker. I couldn't do that. I wouldn't have married if any man expected that of me."
"That's how I feel." Randy felt the kinship between her and Annie grow.
"That young man? He sure looks at you like he's in love." Frank winked.
"He is. He's had a hard time when I can do things on my own or if I try to help him out too much though. But I think we've figured out how to be together. When we're alone, I can be myself and lean on him in a way I'd never look to anyone." She was lost in thought. Like the time he said just what she wished her pa would tell her. "But I didn't think we'd be makin' a livin' out of my shootin' skills."
"A life on the road appealed to me. I like the attention," Annie said.
"I've never liked ridin' into town with all eyes on me." Randy looked at the ground and tugged on her sleeves.
"Then why do you do it?"
"I guess I thought I didn't have a choice."
"You always have choices. If you believed you had a choice, what would you do?"
Randy had to think long and hard for a few minutes. "I would marry Trevor and go to San Francisco but that is after we have our little contest. I like you and I think it would be a fun bit of competition. I haven't come across much worth mentionin'."
"Since my husband became my manager, neither have I." Annie handed Randy her pistol. "Let's see what you got."
Frank started with the front of the card facing them to warm Randy up. Each card had the number of holes in it that they fired. Then they tried to see who could get the most holes in the card, another even match-up. Frank tossed coins in the air. They each hit every one. He tossed several glass balls in the air at once. Randy shot just as many as Annie. Then he turned a playing card sideways on the post so Randy could barely see it.
"I usually do this one at fifty paces, but since you haven't done this one before you can go closer."
"No, I'll do it like you." Randy fired slicing the card in half and shot two holes in it before it hit the ground.
"That's a good warm-up. I can usually get four shots in it before it lands."
Randy looked at her in disbelief. She tried it two more times before managed to shoot the card four times.
"You are going to be a challenge." Annie smiled.
"You think they will let us call it a draw?" Randy asked, tilting her head to the side.
"If that is what it is, then so be it. I have one more." Annie nodded at Frank.
Frank lit a cigarette and started to puff on it as he turned sideways standing in front of the post.
"I can shoot the ash off the end of the cigarette that's in his mouth." Annie counted to three and fired. Sure enough the ash burst off the end of his cigarette.
Randy chewed on her lip.
"Can you do that?" Annie asked and smiled.
"I probably could but I don't want to." She rubbed the barrel of her shotgun.
"I'm sure you can."
"But I won't. If I lose, I'm all right with that. Have you ever missed?"
"Of course not. I wouldn't do it if I missed."
"How about I hold it away from my face?" Frank asked.
"No." Randy shook her head. Her gut tightened in a knot.
"It is a crowd favorite but we can take it out of competition," Annie said.
"No, keep it. I really don't need the title." Randy's face reddened.
"If you are that uncomfortable, it won't be fair. I really want this to come off as a fair match." Annie lightly touched her arm.
"It will be. You totally deserve the title."
"Now, don't tell me you're willing to throw it," Annie said, resting one hand on her hip. She furrowed her brow at Randy.
"I don't doubt you'll do it. I trust you," Frank said.
He held out the cigarette and waited.
Randy took a deep breath. The truth was she never meant to shoot Clyde and Ernie's hands. When she had shot anyone since, it was right where she meant to shoot them. But it wasn't even a gun in Frank's hand. It was much smaller. Randy exhaled slowly, pointed her pistol at the ash, and pulled the trigger. She shot. Nothing. She missed.
"Let me start another one." Frank lit a second, created a decent amount of ash on the end and held it out. She fired again. The ash burst when her bullet flew past it.
Annie gave her a good strong thump on the back. "I knew you could do it. Can we put it in the show?"
Randy reluctantly nodded. "But I don't want to shoot it when it's in his mouth."
"Aww." Annie frowned and folded her arms across her chest.
"Let me see how I feel about it tomorrow." Randy said not wanting a rift in her new friendship with Annie.
"Very well." Annie placed her pistol in her gun holster and opened her shotgun. "Now it isn't just about shooting well. You got a put on a show." Annie closed her shotgun and spun it around in her hand similar to how Randy spun her pistol. It took some practice but Randy was able to do the same. Annie showed her a few other tricks for spinning and tossing her gun to make it look more like a dance with them other than just something to shoot rabbits with. Soon Randy was close to mirroring all of Annie's moves.
"I think we should call it good." Frank rested a hand on Randy's shoulder. "I was afraid they had talked up a girl with no real skill. It will be quite a show tomorrow."
"If I enjoyed the attention more, I would say I'm excited. But I enjoyed this more than any show."
Randy said goodbye to Frank and Annie.