End Notes

If you loved this story and want it for yourself, the edited and cleaned up version is available on Amazon now. http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Little-Sharpshooter-K-D-Kinney-ebook/dp/B012RHIGH2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438100288&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Legend+of+Little+Sharpshooter&pebp=1438100294590&perid=0NJ23FA8SF0S91AK3YT4

I apologize if my inabilty to use a comma correctly drove you nuts. It is my biggest issue and the one thing I'm still struggling to master.

I need to give Bookey some credit. Without all the votes and comments to keep posting, I might have taken much longer to get this whole thing posted. If you've read through the whole story, thank you very much. This was the most fun I've had writing a novel ever so I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

It is a little over the top, but legends usually are. Johnny Appleseed, Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, and Billy the Kid have some stories that are pretty far fetched depending on where you look up tales about them. The Legend of Little Sharpshooter was written as if there was a lost legend of a young lady sharpshooter that everyone had forgotten had existed. Annie Oakley was one fantastic lady sharpshooter which was becoming all the rage when this story was set. I used a lot of her history as inspiration. I was able to incorporate her real life story into this one. The Virginia City showdown was fictitous but everything Annie shared with Randy and the things she shot during a performance were true.

Roy Parker, or best known as Butch Cassidy, has his own bit of history that had a lot to do with how this story ended. Quite the legend of his own, there is some mystery as to whether or not he actually died in a shoot out in Mexico. Years later his sister claimed he was still alive, that he staged his death and went to Europe and had plastic surgery to alter his appearance-didn't know they had that back then. His sister said he came to visit her several times years after his alleged death. He was a fun character to incorporate into the story.

The only other character I can say is inspired by a real life person is Bronson. He is modeled a lot after my crazy old New Mexico cowboy grandpa. I hear my grandpa whenever Bronson has anything to say. He is a tough old man that will call you a sissy if you're a guy wearing those short knickers. He's not a fan of men in shorts. He's done the rodeo circut riding some mean bulls, been a boxer, and tried to make his young son stitch his ear when he got in a bar fight once.  My grandpa is still alive by the way.

I had recently traveled across the country by car just before I wrote this story so the scenery was fresh in my mind. I've lived and traveled all across the American West most of life. With family in New Mexico, and my first job at the Gold Hill Hotel just below Virginia City, Nevada, I tried my best to transport you there.

There isn't much more I can say except I hope you don't hate me and Randy the way my 16-year-old did when she got to the end. She loved the story, but was ticked for days because of what Randy did to Trevor.

Please feel free to leave me comments. Just don't hate on me too much if you do. ;)

By the way, I always knew that The Legend of Little Sharpshooter would end the way it did before I ever started writing it. Once I wrote the last chapter I started second guessing myself and I wrote an alternate last chapter. It started the same but ended somewhat differently. I decided to post it here. I didn't check if it needed editing so I apologize if it seems a little rough.

Alternate ending:

Trevor paced the room. "I need some air." He walked the streets for hours contemplating what to do. Randy wanted him to love again. Maybe the name Mimi was a sign that the girl was meant for him. Otherwise it was just downright mean.

Trevor waited another day before he made his decision. There was no way. She might have told him to love again but he couldn't do it. At least not until he could let her go.

Tao was relentless in trying to talk Trevor into marrying. Trevor went to beach everyday to escape Tao's daily reasoning why he should marry a girl he didn't know and was content sit on a bench to watch the waves roll in with the urns at his feet.

Trevor placed Randy's urn in his lap. He drew in a deep breath as he pulled off the lid for the first time. His fingers stirred the ash. Closing the lid, he sighed.

Al was restless behind the bench. Trevor closed his eyes to hear the tune Randy hummed in his head. He clutched the urn to his chest and longed to hear her voice when he started to hum. Al calmed down. His muzzle nudged Trevor's shoulder as he nickered softly. Someone sat down on the bench next to him and Trevor stopped. He glanced over at the boy beside him when Al pulled at the reins. Trevor closed his eyes and hummed again when Al's head was between him and the boy. Al calmed again and made the soft horse whispering noises he hadn't heard since Al was with Randy. His heart ached when he could hear Randy's voice in his head hum with him. Trevor stopped but the humming didn't.

Trevor looked over and the boy on the bench wrapped his hand around the bridge of Al's nose. There was only one person that held Al that way and he knew the hand. He shook his head with his eyes clouding over. He couldn't see the person next to him clearly when he leaned forward. The humming stopped. Trevor pressed his eyes shut with his heart pounding in his ears. When he opened them, he could see. He yanked the hat off the boy's head and long brown hair fell out of the hat.

"It can't be. You died in my arms." He pointed at her in disbelief and jumped to his feet.

Tears spilled down Randy's cheeks and she wrung her hands in her shirt. It was his old shirt that she took from him. "It looked like it, didn't it? I was given something to make it look like I died. It kind of felt like it too."

"But you were shot. I watched Butch shoot you." He took a step back.

"He helped me set that up. He shot a blank and it was not my blood. You weren't supposed to show up though. I didn't want you to watch me die. But they told me later that it was far more believable that you were there to witness it. I still cry remembering you and what happened that day. It broke my heart to do that to you." Tears flooded from her eyes as she stood.

"How come you didn't tell me what you planned?" he asked with fury boiling up inside him.

"Then I wouldn't have really died to you would I? You wouldn't have been so convincin' if you were anticipatin' me comin' back the whole time and that wasn't gonna happen right away." She reached for his face.

He pulled away. "You could have told me. This was just cruel. You come back like nothing happened and I've been cryin' every day since thinkin' you were gone forever. I still have your ashes. Whose ashes are they?" He backed away from her holding the urn.

"They're just ashes. Butch heard how several outlaws faked their deaths when they were tired of bein' on the run. Many of them were able to slip away and live a quiet reformed life elsewhere. It is a well-kept secret that the Chinamen have medicines that can imitate death. Butch gave me an opportunity that I had to hurry and act on before everyone that wanted to see me dead had their chance. Enough of them were there. The ones that weren't have heard Miranda Carter is gone. The name can be legend now that the rest of the world believes I died. All those men that were out to get me have no reason to chase us anymore. No one ever has to know that I was almost the best lady sharpshooter in the West. Miranda Carter can be talked about all they want. I can quietly be your wife. The way I always wanted it to be. That is if you'll still have me." She reached for his hand. "I wanted to do this not just for me, but for you. I love you so, so much. It can be me and you now. Trevor and Mimi Jones."

Trevor let Randy hold his hand with both of hers. She took the urn from him and set it aside. He still felt fury burn in his face. But at the same time he was filled with tremendous relief. Trevor really loved her so much he couldn't stay mad. The overwhelming swelling in his chest that told him all was right in his world again quickly made the painful anguish a memory that he was eager to forget. He pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers. The desire to be close to her overwhelmed him. His arms wrapped tight around her. Trevor never wanted to let her go. Her fingers ran through his hair the way he had ached to feel and he melted into her. Al gave them a shove. They both shoved him away as they continued to kiss.

Trevor held Randy close to his chest, closed his eyes and ran his fingers through her hair. She played with the button on his shirt with her ear pressed against his ribs. He smiled knowing she loved to hear his voice vibrate in his chest.

"You know Tao was trying to set you up to marry me," Randy said.

"I see that now. I couldn't let you go. You really want to go by the name Mimi?"

"I think so. I should if I want all the trouble we've been through to be worth anythin'."

"Very well, Mimi."

"I brought a special somethin' with me. George is up there." Randy pointed behind them.

On the hitching post was Storm. Trevor ran through the sand to greet his horse. He didn't give Trevor the warm welcome that Al usually did. But it didn't matter.

Once Trevor returned to Randy with Storm following behind, Randy tugged on his shirt.

"I think I'm ready to take care of something that I have waited a long time to do." Randy kicked off her boots, picked up one of the urns, and limped to where the waves swallowed her feet.

Randy dumped the jar that held plain old fireplace ash on the waves. The surface of the water swirled with ash by the motion of the waves.

Trevor handed her the other canister. She walked along the beach with teary eyes as she cast each handful of ash into the wind. The ash floated away.

"I miss you, Pa," she whispered.

Trevor rested his hand on her shoulder and handed her the next container. She held out a handful of ash on her palm and let the wind blow it from her hand that time, doing the same with each handful until all the ash was gone.

"Goodbye," she whispered, hugging her arms to her chest. "Calling myself Mimi just makes me think of my Ma. I don't know why Randy doesn't do the same thing. I don't think of my pa."

Trevor held her back into his chest, wrapped his arms around her, and rested his cheek against her head.

"I feel like I have waited forever for this day." Randy held his arm tight to her chest.

"I thought it was lost forever." Trevor turned her around. He held her face in his hands and smiled as he studied the face he thought he would never see again. They kissed.

A wave crashed into their bare feet. Randy giggled and clung to Trevor. He swept her up into his arms. She kissed him as he carried her down the beach with Al and Storm following like pups behind them.