Always a Country Boy Ch. 01

It wasn't Cooper's type of establishment. But he sat there in the little Northern Kentucky bar know as the Broken Saddle and drank his Bud. He knew if the people he worked with knew he liked to hang out there on Saturday night they would laugh. Cooper was tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and often appeared very city. It didn't matter he was raised in the country. It just didn't seem to stick with him. Sure he lived out in the middle of BFE as his friends like to call it. He just didn't get into the whole farming thing to the disappointment of his father. At least he had brothers to keep the farm going. Cooper preferred is desk job in advertising and his three times a week visits to the gym. He had his honey blonde hair cut weekly by a nice reputable stylist instead of the ancient barber he went to growing up. The calluses he had on his hands he was vaguely proud of so his manicure only pertained to his finger nails, which were trimmed neat and buffed. The house in the country, the callused hands, and his affection from Stetson cologne kept his roots while he struggled to find himself in his new chosen territory.

So it isn't too surprising that he finds himself in a honky-tonk every week. He tried not to look too out of place by wearing a plain white button down shirt tucked into borrowed Wrangler jeans. He wore the cowboy boots that were a present from a well meaning sister. They were comfortable, expensive, and 100% leather. Not his style but they suited his purpose. He sat back towards the wall, but where he could see both the dance floor and the mechanical bull. The music was loud, played by the house band, and was actually pretty good. As he observed the room around him one long, elegant finger tapped in time with the music.

Jimmy leaned on his pool stick and watched the guy sitting by his self for a moment. He had a casual good ole boy stance. One hand was loosely holding this stick. With the other he was holding his beer with his thumb hooked on the pocket of his Wranglers. He leaned had his weight sifted slightly to one side, the side the stick was on. On his head a yellow John Deere hat covered his shaggy sable hair. He didn't realize that the light from the room silhouetted his lanky body into barroom showing his lean, rangy body. Jimmy always figured he was too skinny and tried for years to put on muscle but it just wasn't to be. No matter how many hours he put in the tobacco and hay fields. He did know that his ass was prime. The lady in the bars looked, and looked hard. When he made his way to the dance floor they grab on and wouldn't shake loose.

Without thought he brought the bottle to his lips and took a gulp. He found it odd that a guy would come into Broken Saddle week after week and would always be alone. He never danced. Jimmy noticed the girls asked him but the guy always refused. The guy didn't ever move except to take a leak or order another beer. Just then Jimmy's pool partner yelled at him to get his attention. Jimmy was ready to dismiss the guy and started to turn back to his game. That when he saw it. He knew why the guy was there now.

Without saying a word about what was happening on the far side of the bar Jimmy finished his game and declined the next. With a slight swagger in his hips he made his way to the bar and ordered another beer. From the bar stool he watched the guy closely and waited. When he saw it again he was sure of what he saw.

With the raise of one finger he got the attention of the bar maid. "What's that guy's name?"

"I think it's Cooper. Why?" The bartender was a pretty red-haired girl who smiled up at Jimmy. "He's in here all the time, a real strange duck."

Smiling back, Jimmy held up two fingers. "Give me a couple beers I'm going to go over. Could be he just doesn't know anybody."

Cooper jerked back slightly when the fresh Budweiser got set down in front of him. He never even heard the waitress walk up. Looking up he stared into the deepest brown eyes he had even seen. They were shaded by the bill of a John Deere ball cap. The rest of the face wasn't bad to look out either. Lean and angular with a long nose and high cheek bones. A day's beard shaded hollow cheeks and brought out a full, smiling mouth.

"Mind if I have seat?" The lanky man asked.

"I guess so since you bought me a beer." Cooper looked away and gestured towards an empty chair.

"My name is Jimmy, I've seen you around. Thought I would come over and introduce myself." Jimmy slipped into the chair and took a drink of his beer.

Cooper looked at Jimmy sort of speculatively. "I'm Cooper."

"So there is some pretty nice scenery around here isn't there." Jimmy's brown eyes sparkled as he reached for his bottle

After glancing at some of the women on the dance floor Cooper turned back to Jimmy. "Yeah I guess so."

Leaning closer Jimmy smirked. "I wasn't talking about the women. You're good. But I saw you."

Cooper's blue eyes turned icy in an instant. "I really don't know what you are talking about."

"Sure you do. I saw you checking out the tall cowboy in the red's ass a few minutes ago. And before that it was that guy over there."

"Mister, I don't know who you are or what you are talking about but I think you need to get up and move on before I'll get your ass kicked."

Jimmy snorted and slapped his knee. "I don't think you could. You might wear the right type of clothes but I can tell the difference in a true country boy and a city boy wannabe. Beside it's alright. So you like to check out country tail," Jimmy leaned in again, "so do I."

Cooper stared down the other man. He was waiting for the trap to spring. Waiting for the group of angry rednecks to come out and stomp the queer in their mists. His brother may have accepted him, but most folks in his small Kentucky community would not. Some lines still weren't crossed at leased not in the open. After a few minutes pasted and nothing happened Cooper just sneered, ready to play the game. "Awful brave aren't ya. Admitting you gay in a bar full of half-drunk rednecks to a guy you don't even know."

"Chance I'm willing to take. I guess you could say I just have an eye for details. Since I noticed what no one else in the joint has even bothered to look for. I was just thinking tonight I never see you with anyone, you don't dance. You just sit alone and drink. But then I saw you look." At the look on Cooper's face Jimmy went on. "You weren't obvious. I just have looked in that direction before myself."

"I'm still not admitting to a damn thing. How am I supposed to know that when I leave here tonight you won't have five of you buddies waiting out in the parking lot for me? I know I can take you on but I know I don't stand a chance against a bunch of bigoted, piss-faced drunk, redneck, assholes."

"Buddy you keep telling yourself that you could take me on and you might start believing it. I'll keep you secret since we share the same one and you aren't too hard on the eyes. But I hate to tell you the day a city slicked man like took me down would be they day they would eat cherry popsicles in Hell." Jimmy reached over tapped Coopers hands. "You've got a sissied-up manicure. How much did you drop on those clothes your wearing just so you can fit in here?"

"Not that's it any of you damn business I didn't drop any money on these clothes. They are mine. Well the jeans aren't they're my brother's."

"Well that explains everything but the manicure." Jimmy laughed and picked up Cooper's hand. "What the hell?"

The calluses on the palms of Cooper's hands were worn smooth but were noticeable. Jimmy studied then for a moment before dropping the hand. It wouldn't be good to be caught handing another man's hand in a straight honky-tonk. He started down at his own hands that bared similar calluses. There were rougher than Cooper's but there were the same, hands that had pitched countless bales of hay and cut row after row of tobacco. His right hand was worse than his left thanks to the tobacco knife wore fresh blisters every August. Jimmy was sure that if he looked at Cooper's they would be the same.

There was a faint hint of amusement in Cooper's eyes as he looked at Jimmy. "I grew up on a farm. Most all my family still lives and works it. I pitch in if they need an extra hand but it never really stuck with me. I was for an office with a nice, fat paycheck and air conditioning."

"I guess there was more to you than I though. Well listen I guess I've taken up enough of you're time. Next time you're here look me up. We'll play a game of pool. See how well you can handle a stick."

"Oh, I do just fine with a stick. I don't do to bad with the balls either."