The sheriff didn’t have any trouble keeping Clyde longer than the law allowed knowing he was a problem. It gave them two days to get ahead of him and his gang.
They left the next morning. Thankfully, their journey to the next town was not as far as the one before. It gave Bronson some leisurely time to talk up Randy all evening. The following day they put on their show without much trouble. Bronson was disappointed there were no outlaws to bring him any bonus money. But he wasn’t going to wait for them to show up. They headed on to the next town the next day.
Randy’s name and her sharpshooting reputation had spread. When they entered another town a few days later, all eyes were on her the moment she arrived just like at the restaurant that one night. She sighed. Randy would have to find a way to cope with her rising fame and the extra attention.
A crowd gathered immediately when Bronson started talking her up at the start of the contest. Some men were dead set to make her lose and some just wanted the honor to say they’d tried. Randy lost to a few good opponents. But it didn’t bother her. She wanted her growing reputation to settle down a little.
Bronson was livid when they returned to the hotel.
“You need to be the best. Always. That Annie Oakley doesn’t miss. I’m toutin’ ya to be just as good as her.”
“How do you know she doesn’t miss? I mean anyone can say that. They can still say that about me. How many hundreds of shots have I made and not missed? I can count the losses on my two hands. I don’t think it’s all that bad. It just shows I’m not perfection.” Randy slumped down in her chair.
“But you are perfection. You just don’t wanna be.”
“No, I don’t. The people know who I am before you even say a word. I hate it. We’ve been lucky in these past two towns that we haven’t had any trouble.”
“Well, we are farther away from the places that know your pa. Here you don’t even need his name to make ya famous now.”
“I don’t want it! I just wanted to go to California.” Randy folded her arms and looked away. She knew everything wouldn’t stay calm for long.
“We’re gettin’ closer and we’re still ahead of Clyde. We’ll leave in the mornin’ just like we’ve been doin’.”
Randy stormed out of the room. She needed to tend Al and he was a much better companion than Bronson anyway.
“I’ll come with you.” Trevor jumped up to follow her when she was closing the door.
“No. I want to be alone with Al for a little bit.”
“You shouldn’t be alone.” Bronson protested.
“Anyone who comes near me better watch their trousers. That goes for you both.” She pointed at them before she slammed the door.
Al was calm for once when she entered the stables. She leaned on the stall door and Al horse whispered to her softly.
“I’ve been watchin’ him. He’s a mighty fine horse when he’s with you. You must be magical with horses because he ain’t no angel when you’re gone.”
Randy jumped and turned. A young man leaned against a post. His hat shaded his face, but he had the straightest, whitest set of teeth when he smiled.
“Of course you might just be magical with the way you can handle a gun. That was mighty impressive.”
“If ya like that sort a thing. I dunno what all this magical stuff is.” Randy waved her hands in the air when she said the word magical. She tried to ignore him when she entered the stall to rub Al’s neck. The boy wouldn’t be able to get near her as long as she was with her horse.
“You just have a charm about ya I guess. I’ve never seen this town so excited over a girl before. I woulda thought that horse was worthless if I hadn’t seen him with you. I would kinda like to get to know ya better myself.” He stepped closer but leaned on Storm’s stall door to stay clear of Al. He tilted up his hat and she could see his dark brown eyes. His skin was dark from time spent in the sun and his hair was clean cut with a smooth face. He had to be as old as Trevor.
“Just so ya know, I have a guy I like plenty.” She went on the other side of Al’s neck and braided pieces of Al’s mane so she didn’t have to look at the attractive boy.
“If anything ever happens between you two, ya know where to find me.” He pulled something out of his pocket and offered it to Al. He eagerly nibbled what was in the boy’s hand.
“What did ya give him?” Randy ducked under Al’s neck to see what it was.
“Just a sugar cube. I’ve been tryin’ to make friends with him. Not many Arabians around. With the few I’ve seen, they are my favorite.” He pulled out another cube and offered it to Al.
“Oh, mine too. But he’s fickle. He ain’t no prize. I can’t believe that he’s been takin’ sugar cubes from you when I wasn’t here. Besides me, he only lets one other person near him.” Randy flushed suddenly wondering if she was doing something wrong talking to the boy that made friends with Al.
“I’m John.” He held out his hand.
Randy hesitated and then tentatively rested her hand in his. “I’m Randy.”
“Oh, I thought you were Miranda.”
“I am, but I go by Randy.”
“I see.” John didn’t let go of her hand after he shook it. Randy’s throat tightened and her heart did a little flip. Confused, she clenched her jaw and pulled her hand away.
“I’m sorry but I need to feed him and head back.” Randy opened the door to the stall and collected an armful of hay. John was right on her heels, taking the hay from her before she could head back. She limped beside him and opened the stall door, prepared to take it from him but he followed her in. Randy expected Al to fuss but he didn’t. He nibbled off the top before John dropped it.
Randy stood with her mouth agape.
John’s eyebrows pressed together. “What?”
“Never mind.” She grabbed the bucket. John was right on her heels again taking the bucket from her to the pump, filled it, and brought it back to Al’s stall.
Randy stood awkwardly at the stall door, not sure what to do besides hold it open for John. He shut the door, resting his hand close to hers and left it there. He stepped a little closer. One of his fingers touched hers lightly. His hand crept over hers and squeezed. She couldn’t pull her hand away when he planted his foot on hers and he leaned in for a kiss. She leaned back, unable to step away, trying to pull her hand from his grasp when she heard someone gasp behind her. She knew who was there and guilt consumed her.
John let her go. When she could finally turn, Trevor was already headed out the livery stable. John’s laugh made her skin prickle. Randy kicked him hard in the shin before she chased after Trevor.
“Trevor, please wait!” Randy struggled to catch up with her ridiculous hobble.
Trevor didn’t stop. He didn’t go to the hotel either. He headed for the saloon.
Randy’s heart sank. She stopped in the middle of the road with her hands pulling and twisting in her shirt. Everyone stopped to watch her. Why did they all have to know who she was? She sucked in a deep breath to hold the tears back and casually walked to the hotel even though what she wanted to do was run.
Randy cried softly in her room and listened for Trevor or Bronson to come back. She had stopped crying for a long time when she heard someone come up the stairs. Randy tiptoed to the door and listened. They were unlocking the door next to hers.
Randy opened the door a crack. It was Trevor. She opened the door a little wider and rested her forehead on the door frame. The tears filled her eyes again.
“Trevor,” she whispered. He didn’t look up. “Trevor, I only love you.”
He closed his eyes before he opened the door. Trevor disappeared into his room without saying a word.
Randy quietly closed the door and locked it. She sat on her knees, resting her head and hand on the wall, longing to hear him or just feel his touch to tell her they would be all right. Tears fell down her cheeks. She covered her face in her hands and rocked back and forth to silence the painful sobs that wanted to escape from her body.
The next morning Randy woke up on the floor. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she looked awful with her swollen face and puffy eyes. She rinsed her face with water in the washbasin but it was no use. The weight of a big rock was in her chest when she left her room. She hesitated with her fist in the air in front of Trevor and Bronson’s door. Finally she knocked lightly. It took a while before she heard them shuffle around the room. She wondered if she should just leave when she waited longer than usual. Bronson finally opened the door.
Bronson’s greasy hair stood on end and he still reeked of whiskey. His eyes were bloodshot as he blinked at her several times without saying a word.
“It’s time for breakfast. Are you two comin’?” Randy shoved her hands in the pockets of her buckskin jacket.
“Let me see,” Bronson swayed and threw his shirt at Trevor to wake him. “You want some food?”
Trevor shook his head and never turned.
“What did ya do? Break him?” Bronson chuckled.
Blood drained from her face and knotted into her gut.
“I might have,” she whispered. She would have to go to breakfast alone after she tended to Al. But John might be there. If she saw him, she would have to give him a piece of her mind.
John wasn’t in the stable when she arrived. She hugged Al. It would figure that Randy would be ignored all over again when they left town with Bronson and Trevor both drinking again. As temperamental as Al was, at least he always liked her and got over whatever slight or grief she gave him. For a moment she was tempted to saddle him up and go to the next town alone. Randy sighed. She knew better.
Randy froze with Al’s brush resting on his back when she heard someone enter the stables. She peeked under his neck. It was John. Fury welled up in Randy and she couldn’t stop herself as she stormed out of the stall, headed straight for John.
“You know what you did?” Randy clenched her fists and held them tight to her side when she was nose to nose with him.
“I was tryin’ to let you know how much I like you. How was I supposed to know that kid was yours?”
“Why’d you laugh?”
“It was funny.” John’s mouth turned to the side as he taunted her. “It was until you kicked me.”
“You deserve so much more.”
“Why? Because your little boy got his feelin’s hurt? The big sissy turned around and walked away. He shoulda fought harder for you. He ain’t worth havin’.” John turned away from her to move a bale of hay. “A girl like you deserves to be fought for.”
“He’s worth far more than you. Besides, I can fight my own fights.” Randy tapped him on the shoulder. When he stood up to look at her, her fist connected hard with his nose. He fell back on his hind end.
“That’s for tryin’ to take somethin’ from me you weren’t allowed to have and for costin’ me my boy. You could learn some lessons on how to be a gentleman from him.” Randy turned around, pressed her lips together to stop herself from smiling, shaking out her fist when she left the livery stable. She shouldn’t like that kind of pay back so much. But the look on his face was worth it.
After she ate, Randy went back to her room and packed everything to leave. Once the three of them were in the stable, John stayed far away from Randy. Trevor still wouldn’t say a word to her. Bronson didn’t say much either but he looked hard at Randy after he got a good look at John. Bronson kept watching Trevor like he was waiting for him to say something. Trevor never did.
They were almost out of town when Bronson stopped and turned his horse to face Randy and Trevor.
“You two have some sort of fallin’ out?” Bronson glared at them both. Randy hung her head but motioned slightly in Trevor’s direction. “If it’s Trevor’s fault, why did that boy back there look like you left your mark on him?” He raised his eyebrows waiting for an answer.
“I didn’t see that.” Trevor looked at Randy. She hung her head a little lower.
“Because that boy was slinkin’ around not wantin’ to explain how his nose was all messed up. Randy, you got a mean punch. I hoped he deserved what you gave him and it wasn’t because Trevor was off ya.”
“He earned it.” Randy kicked Al’s sides to get ahead of the two of them.