One Step Over the Border (41 page)

Scratched his neck.

Pushed his hat back.

Rocked on his heels.

Took a deep breath.

And knocked.

The music stopped. From somewhere deep in the house a feminine voice rang out, “Yes… who is it?”

Hap waited for the door to open. When it didn’t, he leaned forward. “Ma’am, my name’s Hap Bowman, I’m from Wyomin’. Your aunt
Paula from El Paso gave me your address and said I should stop by and visit you if I got up your way.”

He heard floorboards creak, but the voice was still muffled. “What do you want?”

“Ma’am, I’d really like to tell you in person. If you aren’t comfortable with my comin’ in, can we talk out in the yard?”

The voice was still indistinct. “What do you want to talk about?”

“A silly dream of mine that has already cost me ever’thin’. I’m hopin’ you can put it to rest.”

The door swung open.

A woman in her early thirties, with, black, wavy hair, thick eyebrows, and black jeans stood barefoot in front of him. Her
trimmed toenails were polished bright red. She wore a scooped-neck pink T-shirt with burgundy-colored words emblazoned on
the front:
Ponder Rosa
.

Hap gaped. He moved his lips but it took a moment before any words came out. “Rosa? Wha… what are you doin’ here?”

“This is my house. This is where I live when I’m not traipsing around the world.”

“But… where’s that other Juanita?”

“All of those things I told you about her are true, except for one. Her name isn’t Juanita. It’s Rosa. That was all about
me, Hap.”

He waved his arms like a drowning man. “But, what about that person who needed your help?”

“It was me, too. I needed to do something for Rosa Rodríguez Tryor.”

“Why the pretense? Why go through all of this?”

Rosa bit her lip. “Because I wanted so bad to be your Juanita. I wanted to be the one you were so crazy to find.”

He stepped forward and circled his arms around her. She leaned on his chest and cried. “I’m sorry, Hap. I’m sorry. I just
have a difficult time believing that I’m not the one for you.”

He kissed her neck, her cheek, her forehead. “Somethin’ inside me died last night when you phoned. All day today, I’ve been
in agony.”

“What do you think died?”

“This idiot obsession about findin’ a girl I met when I was twelve. I realized it doesn’t matter anymore. Your words in the
night purged my heart. I didn’t even want to come up here. All I wanted was you back. Annamarie made me come up here. I reckon
you know that I love you.”

She cradled his cheeks and gazed into his eyes. She brushed a kiss across his lips. “Hap, I am not your dream girl. I am not
perfect. But I do love you, too. And I know I can learn to love you better. But, listen to me. I will never be able to change
the fact that I am not Juanita.”

He kissed her firmly on the lips. When he leaned back, a wide, easy grin filled his leather-tough, tanned face. He handed
her the small leather box. “These are for you.”

“Your rock and the little girl’s bracelet? Hap… let me be your Juanita.”

“No, darlin’… I lost that dream last night when you phoned and I never want it back. I don’t need a Juanita. I don’t want
that girl I met when I was twelve. I need you. You will now and forever be my Rosa.”

Have you seen my Juanita?

WANTED

NAME
: Juanita

AGE:
31

EYES:
Dark Brown

RACE:
Hispanic

BIRTHMARK:
Silhouette of a petite horse's head under right ear

LOCATION:
Lives within sight of Rio Grande

LAST SEEN:
Central Wyoming, 1988

H
ap Bowman and his rodeo partner, Laramie Majors, set out to find Hap’s lost childhood love and are soon chasing down every
Juanita from Wyoming to the Mexican border. Every place they go leads to more trouble and excitement—whether it’s herding
cattle across the Rio Grande, facing off against a crooked park ranger in the Chisos Mountains, or rounding up wild mustangs
on a desert military testing ground. Though their search may or may not lead to Juanita, it will definitely be the adventure
of a lifetime for these two modern-day cowboys.

STEPHEN BLY is the author of ninety-five books and hundreds of articles. The mayor of Winchester, Idaho, in his spare time,
he pursues the three R’s of ridin’, ropin’, and rodeo… and construction of Broken Arrow Crossing, a false-front western village
near his home. You can visit his Web site at
www.BlyBooks.com
.