This is my first fan fiction story. Please read and let me know what you think.

Damn that Tracy. Seems every other Friday night she calls out sick. I might have to look for another bartender. I was wiping down the bar after a spill when I heard the door jingle.

He was amazing. Long dark hair, great body and he walked like he meant business. He sat down at the bar and as he did I noticed the deep furrow between his brows. He was just "perfect" and I decided I'd be extra nice, maybe take some of that irritation off his face.

"Hi, how are you tonight?", I asked with a slight smile. "Cut the small talk, and get me a shot of Jack." was his answer. He never even looked at me. "Excuse me?". I was getting that same furrow between my brows. He looked up at me and said, "Do I need to repeat myself to you or the owner?". Now...oh oh, I'm getting pissed.

"Let me explain things to you, buddy" I said as I leaned over the bar towards him. "House Rule #1, leave your troubles at the door unless you want some in here." He looked at me finally. Really looked and the furrow got deeper. I walked over to the liquor bottles and grabbed two and put them down in front of him. "Second, do you like the hard kick of old Kentucky bourbon or the slow burn of Tennessee rye?" I hesitated and then leaned over and added, "Chris".

All of a sudden, the furrow was gone and his face lit up. He laughed so hard. Finally, he grinned at me with that slow grin I had seen so many times in photos and said, "Well, ma'am, a shot of Jack is just fine.".

"Now that's so much better!", I exclaimed and poured his shot. Then I poured myself a shot of Honey Jack and we touched glasses before downing the drinks. He continued to smile and I left to wait on other customers. I wanted to leave him alone since he seemed not to want company. It started to get late, around 2:00 a.m. and the crowd started to dwindle. Chris already had a month's worth of shots, or so it seemed, and I went over and sat next to him. "Who is the owner here? I'll tell them how great you were tonight." I smiled and said "Me and thank you.".

"Listen, you have had quite a bit to drink and I would feel horrible if something happened when you drive outta here. Why not stay with me tonight and I'll bring you back tomorrow to get your car?" He looked at me with a sly grin, "Well, ma'am. That is nice of you, but I have a girl and she takes good care of me." At first, I didn't understand. He didn't come in with any "girl". Then it dawned on me. "No no! Not like that. Seriously, I live with my dog, have two bedrooms and you are welcome to come over and sleep". I felt my face turn beet red. He laughed, "Seriously?". "Yes", I said. "Let me finish closing up and then we'll leave.

On the way to my place, which was just a few miles up the road, Chris fell asleep. I chuckled as I thought "isn't this what all us Kaniacs dream of?". We arrived and I had a heck of a time waking him up. Finally, he walked, rather well, into the house. Chris entered behind me and I heard a low growl. My German Shepard, Dago, was between us in a second with his neck hair standing on end. "Hey buddy, wassup, boy?" Dago looked up at me and I nodded and said "he's ok, Dago". Dago wagged his tail and accepted Chris petting him.

Chris walked straight to the kitchen, "you hungry? Let's see what you've got in here." Thank goodness I had just stocked up on everything. I left him to do his thing and went to make sure he had towels in his bathroom and straightened up. As I was throwing in some laundry, the most delicious aroma hit me. I sneaked into the hallway by the kitchen and peeked at him. There he stood with spatula in hand standing at the stove. I wanted to pinch myself! Chris was in MY KITCHEN! And, damn he is so fine. I went back to the laundry and finally he yelled for me to come eat.

Sitting on the bar stool, I waited while he plated the food. The omelet looked so good! I asked what was in it and he smiled and said, "just eat, it's a secret." Oh my, the first bite was heaven. The eggs were fluffy and the spinach and cheese was a perfect blend. Chris watched for my reaction. I heard him chuckle as I closed my eyes and chewed. After the food was gone, I asked when my first cooking lesson was. He grinned, "not tonight, darlin'. I've got a headache." I laughed and showed him where he was sleeping. "Any special time you need up?", I asked. Chris thought for a few minutes, "No, I guess when I wake is good, if that's ok with you?" "Not a problem, I have a few errands to run in the morning, but when you wake I'll take you to get your car." We said our good nights.

It was after 2:00 p.m. when I returned home. I heard the shower running in his room and knew he was up. I went to the kitchen and poured myself some sweet iced tea, my favorite. After awhile, he joined me. We chit chatted for a while and then Chris said he must be heading out. As we walked to the door, Chris said, "thank you for everything. It was really nice of you.". We headed out and I drove back to The Cock Tale Hour bar. Chris looked up at the sign and then looked at me. "Is this going to be another Tale?". I grinned and said, "Damn Skippy!". I held out my hand with the key I had made while doing my errands. He looked at the key and had a questioning look on his face. I told him not to worry, I didn't have any visions of grandure. "If you are by this way and need a place to stay, just call and let me know you'll be there. No questions. Just so you know you have a friend." He reached out and pulled me to him. When Chris wrapped his arms around me it was as if he couldn't squeeze me enough. He let go and got in his car and drove off. All I could think of was, "Damn you're fine, but have you tried jeans and cowboy boots?".