Chapter 2 All American Joe

Joe Hernandez is a cowboy. There is no mistaking the bowlegged gait, the Stetson hat, and skin tight wranglers. Strung on his belt a leather man’s tool, and in his eyes rests the need for open space and dusty trails. Yes, Joe Hernandez is a cowboy.
The only thing that doesn’t quite fit the mold is the fact that he wears Danner hunting boots. He doesn’t really like the way those pointy damn cowboy boots fit. Yep, the only difference between him and all the cowboys back home were his boots, the absent can of Copenhagen in his back pocket, oh, and his last name.
Yes, Joe is a Mexican cowboy, and proud of it. Many Mexicans had ridden much of the country rounding up cattle, but in Joe’s neck of the woods, he is the only one. His folks had come to America the day before he was born. They were legal, and grateful. They wanted to name their son something that made him a real American. They settled on Joe.
His parents worked hard to in the fields and orchards throughout much of the west to provide all that they could for Joe. They molded him into a great man who was a home owner, community leader, number one hand on a ten thousand acre ranch, and good friend to many. Most people didn’t even know Joe was a Mexican, or forgot, or didn’t care. He’d hear the jokes about wet-backs and beaners, and he would just smile and give a little chuckle. He knew that the jokes weren’t intended for him and his family. Everyone respected Joe, and when informed he was a Mexican the comedians would blush and apologize. Joe would tell them it wasn’t a big deal. He wasn’t the type of man to hold a drunken joke or story against a man. All American Joe.
He was tall and lean from his hardworking lifestyle. He looked much older than his twenty five years, except for his eyes; they’d never look a day over ten.
He was in town for a cattleman’s convention. He enjoyed the city once in a while, but was always glad to escape back to the peaceful desert.
Tonight he intended to find some adventure. He should have been careful what he wished for.