Trevor could hardly contain his excitement the next morning. He ate his breakfast and whatever food Randy left on her plate when she was done. Which seemed to be most of her breakfast. He leaned back in his chair to watch Bronson and Randy argue over what she was going to wear. Trevor wished someone else was in the room so he could bet on who would win. They both looked at him when they were exasperated with each other.
"I'm sorry, Bronson, but the buckskin outfit has the attitude. That is what she needs for the show today. That Annie is girly enough for the two of them. Randy needs to look like Randy and not somethin' she's not."
Bronson roared and threw up his hands. He glared hard at Randy and then at Trevor. "Who set up this show? Who did all the work to arrange this fancy room?"
"Who is gonna shoot the gun to earn the title of Best in the West? Huh?" Randy jutted out her chin and glared right back at him. "I could say I ain't gonna shoot nothin' if I don't like the way I look."
"You ridiculous female. I give up. Where whatever ya want. Go in yer underclothes for all I care." Bronson stormed off to his room
Randy smiled triumphantly at Trevor. "I win."
"Now you need to win the next contest."
Randy's face fell. "Well, we will see." She went to her room to change. Trevor was left in the middle of the room sitting alone. He went back to the tray of food and picked through it practically polishing the silver tray when he was done.
Ely arrived when it was time to go. Trevor followed them down the stairs and out the door. He shifted his weight from foot to foot while he wondered how he was going to the show when they put Randy in a fancy horse pulled cart with Bronson by her side. Ely gestured for Trevor to sit beside him on the backside of the cart. A difficult place to watch the fanfare the girls' created since Annie and her husband were in the cart in front of them. They rode through the center of town while people on the street waved and cheered. The fanfare was intoxicating but Randy half-heartedly smiled and barely waved.
"Look at her." Bronson nudged Randy, pointing at Annie.
Annie stood, holding on to her husband's shoulder as she waved vigorously at everyone.
"Get busy, sweetheart." Bronson pushed her onto her feet to do the same.
The carts paraded them down C Street and turned to the left before they headed down the mountain out of town. The crowd followed behind the carts. They pulled up to a wide open area that rapidly filled with people. They pulled up next to a platform while the crowd gathered.
Once everyone stepped out of the carts, they were gone. Trevor flushed in excited anticipated as he stood beside Randy. She was red in the face too but she looked more like a terrified mouse that had been cornered by a cat.
Frank's booming voice rang out over the crowd. He welcomed everyone to the show to witness who would be given the title of 'Best Lady Sharpshooter in the West'. As he went on about what they were about to see, Annie sidled up closer to Randy.
"You need to wipe that terrified look off your face. The most important thing is to make this fun. I mean fun for you, not for any of them. Pretend like it is yesterday and we aren't just here to see how good we are, we're here to completely show off because we can," Annie said. She bounded up the stairs after Frank introduced her, shooting a glass ball as soon as it was launched up into the air. She spun her pistol around her finger and placed it back in her holster, smiling and waving as the crowd erupted in cheers.
"See, I told ya that last night. Have fun." Trevor gave her hand a squeeze.
Randy's name was announced. She bounded up the stairs, shooting the glass ball with flair and spun her pistol around her finger just as fancy as Annie with a huge smile plastered on her face as she vigorously waved at the crowd. Randy was greeted with the same amount of energy from the crowd. It was the biggest crowd Trevor had ever seen.
Frank got the show started. Trevor noticed Randy's shoulders relaxed once she focused her attention on Annie. She challenged Randy with cards, flying glass balls, coins and the two had great fun as the competition wore on with each of them shooting equally well. The crowd roared louder and louder as each challenge grew more difficult. By the end of an hour there was no winner. But from what Trevor understood, that was the plan. They wanted everyone to come back and pay for the second show to see who would win.
"That is our show. We need to let our ladies rest to regroup this evening at six o'clock for the rematch. I promise it will be bigger and even more challenging than what you have witnessed this afternoon," Frank bowed to the crowd in gratitude lifting his hat. The cheer escalated to a massive roar. It died down as everyone departed.
"You were both amazin'! That was fun to watch. How are ya gonna top that?" Trevor asked.
"We'll come up with something I'm sure." Annie looked over her shotgun and then winked at Trevor giving him a broad smile. She rested a hand on Randy's shoulder. "Did you enjoy that?"
Randy nodded, beaming until her gaze turned the audience. Her face fell. The large group of outlaws stood together at the back of what remained of the departing crowd. Every one of them locked their eyes on Randy. "Here's what happens at the end of my performances. Everyone that wants to get me is right over there." She motioned her head at the group.
Bronson jumped down from the platform and spoke to Ely.
Ely motioned at the armed lawmen near the platform. They moved toward the gathering of outlaws. The outlaws scattered.
"You think they'll try something with the law presence here?" Annie asked. "That seems brazen to me."
"I don't know." Randy's hand gripped her pistol. Trevor rested his hand on her shoulder hoping she would ease up but she didn't respond as she scanned the sagebrush since everyone else was gone. It remained peaceful.
The carts arrived but Ely stopped them before they climbed in. "There are men watching this area and they will be watching as you ride back. So if you see someone perched on top of a building, he's one of us. I don't want you to get target happy with the ones that are out to protect you."
Randy nodded as she took his hand to climb into the cart. Trevor hopped onto the back and searched for the lawmen Ely spoke of. He only saw two the whole way back on top of a building on each side of the street. He wondered if they were really as protected as Ely had claimed.
The hours passed slowly until it was time to return for the second show. Bronson and Randy were trying to figure out a way for her to be really impressive at the start of the show. They had only a few ideas until Randy's face lit up.
"I have it! I know what to do. Ya'll ride in on the cart. I'll arrive on my own." She bounced up and down in her chair.
Trevor rode with Bronson in the cart. Frank was already there and so was the massive crowd. They anxiously waited on the platform. Annie sure took her time. But when she finally arrived, the horses trotted fast pulling her cart while she stood on the seat with her rifle poised. Bronson and Trevor backed out of the way as Frank tossed up glass ball after glass ball. Annie shattered every one of them as the cart rode by. The crowd cheered as the cart turned around and made one more pass with her shooting again before it stopped to drop Annie off on the platform. The crowd erupted again when she took a bow.
Bronson nudged Trevor with his elbow. "This'll be good." Bronson was giddy as they waited for Randy.
She didn't disappoint. Randy looked like she was standing on Al's back as he rode in at a full gallop. He slowed as they neared the platform. Frank tossed up the glass balls as she passed by and Randy shattered every one. The crowd exploded in cheers in response. She turned Al around and they passed by once more with her hitting more glass balls. When Randy turned him back around again, she had dropped into the saddle. When they were front and center, Al reared up and Randy waved her hat at the crowd as if she did that kind of thing everyday. The noise was deafening. The crowd was double what it had been earlier. She trotted Al over to the side of the stage.
"I realize bringin' him means ya have to watch from the sidelines. I'm sorry about that." She handed the reins to Trevor.
"Just as long as I get a good view. Man, that was fantastic!" He gave her a quick hug before she took the steps onto the platform to wave at the crowd again. A stirrup bumped into his shoulder. The stirrups were cinched as high as they would go. That was how she looked like she was standing up on Al. Everything happened so fast, he couldn't tell.
The show progressed like the one before. Randy shot as well as Annie. She seemed to enjoy it until she spotted something in the crowd. She frowned almost missing her next cue to shoot. Trevor noticed the fun she had been having was gone. She still made her shots but it took her more time. Trevor finally figured out what caught her attention.
Clyde and Ernie were front and center in the crowd closest to the stage. They were unsettling Randy.
Annie mumbled something to Randy. She shook her head and gave Annie a weak smile before she came back around. She was into it again not looking at Clyde or Ernie.
The score was even. It had been nearly an hour and a half of competition that time. Randy had some near misses. She had to take more than one shot a couple times with the glass balls. When Frank tossed up two handfuls at once, she missed one. The crowd gasped.
Frank tossed up two handfuls at once for Annie. Annie missed two. The crowd groaned. Then she pointed out that she didn't have enough bullets in her six-shooter to shoot them all. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Frank.
"Well Randy had eight as well and she only left one behind." He shrugged.
"Do it again." Annie insisted.
He tossed eight up in the air. Randy missed two on her turn. Annie only missed one.
"It's still a tie!" Frank announced. The crowd roared.
"If they both pass this last challenge we will have to call it a draw." Frank announced and explained to the crowd that he would hold a cigarette and they would have to shoot the end of it.
Trevor's mouth fell open. Randy wrung her hands in the bottom of her jacket. Trevor's heart started to race. Her eyes glanced over to the crowd again where Ernie and Clyde stood before she looked back at Frank.
Annie stood closer to Randy and mumbled to her. Randy shook her head. Annie asked her something else. Randy's hands trembled as she gripped the bottom edge of her jacket again. She kept glancing at Clyde and Ernie. Trevor wanted to climb the steps to give Bronson a heads up but Al was restless, trying to pull him back away from the platform. Ely stood beside Bronson as they casually talked to each other laughing and carrying on as if nothing was wrong.
Annie prepared for her shot. The crowd didn't make a sound. It was absolute silence with the exception of a few birds singing in the distance. Frank held the cigarette in his hand. Annie's shot made the ash fly in the air in all directions. The crowd clapped and cheered.
Randy prepared for her shot. The crowd was silent again. She took her time. When she shot, the ash flew in all directions but not nearly as obvious as Annie's shot. When the crowd realized she did hit the ash, they clapped and cheered again.
Frank lit another cigarette. He placed it in his mouth and turned sideways. The crowd gasped at once. Annie took her time. A hush fell over the area again. No one dared to breathe. She shot and the ash flew in the air. Frank nodded that she hit the mark and the crowd exploded in noise.
Randy fidgeted before she got ready to shoot. She paced the platform with her eyes continuing to glance at the front row. Trevor's heart sank before she calmed herself enough to prepare to shoot. She had never looked so uneasy about shooting anything before.
Frank lit another cigarette and made sure there was lots of ash on it before Randy's attempt. She shifted from foot to foot and held out her pistol. Randy pressed her lips together and blinked several times.
Trevor was relieved she didn't lose her nerve. Maybe, just maybe. It needed to be a draw. You couldn't ask for anything better after their two shows. He held his breathe along with everyone else as she stopped moving and concentrated. The shot echoed when it went off and there was absolute silence until Frank shook his head in disappointment. The crowd groaned at once.
Randy hung her head only for a moment. She was the first to pull it together. Annie was in shock when Randy gave her hug of congratulations, then shook her hand, and smiled.
The mayor took the stage. "We have a winner. It only came down to one shot to win it. It is clear that Miranda Carter was a worthy opponent. Maybe next year she could rise to the challenge again to win the title. As for today, Annie Oakley wins the title of Best Lady Sharpshooter in the West!"
Everyone cheered. Annie waved her hat in the air. It was obvious she was torn over Randy's miss. Annie's warm smile was half of what Trevor had seen her smile while she performed with Randy.
Annie descended the stairs and greeted all the well-wishers. Randy headed to the other side where Trevor waited for her.
Bronson grabbed her arm on the way down. "What was that? You had a tie goin' there."
"I just couldn't do it." Randy shook her head, yanking her arm out of his hand, and took the reins from Trevor. She didn't look at either one of them as she got on Al's back and trotted him away from the crowd.
"Someone better follow her. Clyde and Ernie were watchin' her in the front row the whole time. She shouldn't be alone." Trevor pulled on Bronson's duster to stop him from storming off.
"If she's gonna go off on her own like that, then she might need to suffer the consequences of her actions." Bronson stormed off anyway.