It was early morning when he first opened his eyes which revealed to that the sun was up and a new day was starting without him. It didn't matter that much, and the man refused to get up too quickly and enjoy the moment. Those first seconds of the day, that short pause before you finally decide to get your arse out of bed and get things going. The naked man felt comfortable but knew he was going to have to get up and start his day regardless of how good he was feeling. Park of his comfort might have been the naked lady laying beside him, and the rigorous activities that they had been doing long into the night. As much as he wanted to wake her up for another round of cardio, good judgement got the best of him, as he huffed deeply just before throwing his legs over the side of the bed. His feet slapped the wooden floor, but they didn't have their usual chill which reminded him that they were in the dog days of summer. He stretched a bit and looked back to enjoy the view before huffing again as he lifted himself off the bed to stand and stretch.

     "Bart," the woman called from the bed, "Don't you dare get up without giving me a little loving first."

     "Sorry, Daisy," Bart said, sighing deeply. "I can't do that, or I'll never get out of bed. I have money to make and bills to pay. This hotel room isn't cheap, and neither are you."

     "I may not be cheap," Daisy said, grinning at him. "But I'm worth it."

     "Yes," Bart agreed, "Yes, you fucking are."

     "Are you sure you have to go?" Daisy asked, her tone almost whiny.

     "I'm afraid so, love." Bart said, as he walked over to the other side of the room and started to dress. "I need to earn some extra green if I want to take a whole day off with you. If I have that kind of luck at the tables, you'll be the first to know."

     "Fair enough," Daisy said, laying back down and sighing herself.

     "Don't be like that," Bart said, knowing what was going on in her head. "I prefer to take a break and save my strength for later tonight. We'll hook up again after supper and we do a repeat of last night's performance."

     "Promise?" Daisy asked, almost sounding excited.

     "I cannot make any promises," Bart said, "But I will try."

     "Alright," Daisy conceded, "I guess that will have to do."

     "Tell the ladies at work I said hello," Bart said as he put his jacket on to finish dressing for the day. He grabbed a hate from the hangar and turned back to face the naked lady on the bed. "Take your time, I have this room booked all week."

     "Thank you," Daisy said, as she was intent to rest a few more hours.

     "I am to please," Bart said as he opened the door and left.

     Bart walked down the hallway and descended the stairs that lead to the saloon where he was booking his room. There were a few people in there, drinking early or chattering amongst themselves. The bartender noticed him as he came down that stairs and waved to him.

     "Morning Bart," the bartender called out.

     "Morning Finn," Bart called back.

     "Hair of the dog to start your morning?" Finn called out.

     "Not this early," Bart said, walking towards the door. "Maybe later."

     "Have a good one!" Finn called as Bart strolled out into the street.

     The sun was out and as one of his friends would say the day was large, which mean there wasn't a cloud to be seen and the sky as a result was a massive as an ocean. Bart could feel the heat on his shoulders and knew it was going to be one of those days, so he knew what saloon he would be spending his day in. Yet, he wasn't in the mood to gamble just yet as he kept walking to a different building that was a short walk away. A specific establishment that only served food and didn't bother using its time to offer gambling of any kind. What drew Bart in was the quality of the meals, and the lack of game also allowed him to relax and enjoy them without distraction. As he strolled into the restaurant, Bart quickly scanned the room to see who was there and where they were sitting. He spotted a specific man sitting in what would usually be his seat, but he didn't wake up early enough to claim it for himself. He strolled over to the table and greeted the man sitting there with a nod and a tip of his hat.

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     "Good morning, Sheriff." Bart said.

     "Morning Bart," the sheriff replied, "Am I sitting in your seat again?"

     "I'm afraid so," Bart said, smiling at him. "But I cannot be angry at you for having the same instinct and cunning that possess."

     "This is the best place to sit," the sheriff agreed, "Back to the way, and the only view of both exits. By far the best seat if you don't want to be ambushed."

     "Indeed," Bart said, sighing.

     "I guess you'll just have to sit with me," The sheriff said, "And I'll watch the exits for both of us."

     "Well, if you insist." Bart said as he took a seat.

     "I hope you don't mind," The sheriff continued, "But since we've been doing this dance for the last three days, I took the liberty to order your breakfast when I placed mine. I hope you don't mind since you've been eating the same thing each day and assumed you'd want it again today."

     "You assumed correctly," Bart said, taking his had off and placing it into the empty seat beside him. "Thank you, George."

     George smiled back and was pleased to hear his assumption was correct, and it would save them time.

     "You're welcome, Bart." George said, sipping his coffee. "The least I could do for a friend, especially since you've been so polite and well behaved since coming into my town. Not a single shot fired since you arrived."

     "Now now, George." Bart said, "Don't jinx me here."

     "Apologies," George said, "It was not my intention."

     "I know that," Bart said, as he had his own reasons for not being a bad boy and keeping all of his guns holstered. One of those reasons was laying in his bed. He had paid for her services for the whole week up front and would hate to lose the rest of the fee by starting a fight and having to leave town early. It was easier for Bart to keep his tongue and temper in check if he had something or someone to look forward to, and Daisy was just the woman to keep him in line. He'd be a good boy for now.

     "Anything big planned today?" George inquired.

     "Nothing concrete," Bart lied, "I might check out a few games and see what sticks."

     "Not a bad plan," George said, "Hopefully a good breakfast will get you going."

     Just as George said that, someone had tried to walk up to the sheriff with ill intent on his mind. He was pulling out a peacemaker just steps away from the lawman, and Bart pulled one of his guns and blew the man out of his boots before the Sheriff even spotted the man. The crowd jumped and was startled at the sound of the gun but seemed to settle down once Bart returned the smoke wagon back to its holster.

     "Damn it," the sheriff said, looking at the dead young man on the ground. "I barely saw him coming. How the hell did you see him? He was behind you!"

     "Your badge," Bart said, tapping the star on George's chest. "I saw him approach in its reflection and had a guy feeling he was going to skin his pistol."

     "Son of a bitch," George said, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "Just for that, breakfast is on me today."

     "Unnecessary," Bart said, "But accepted with appreciation."

     "The least I can do," George said as he also stepped aside from the chair that he was originally sitting in. "And I believe this is your chair."

     "Well, this is unexpected." Bart said, as he took the seat George had been stealing all week. "If I knew that's all it took, I would have shot someone a lot earlier."

     "No point keeping the vantage point today," George said, taking a new seat, "No one is going to be dumb enough to shoot at us again today."

     "And if they are, I'll be ready." Bart said, winking at his friend.

     "God damn it," George said, "You ain't never going to change, are you Bart?"

     "Never," Bart said, "Not even for a hot January."

     "Did you ever think of going legit, like I did?" George asked.

     "I couldn't do it," Bart said, "My soul couldn't handle wearing the white hat. I'm corrupted to the core and always will be."

     "At least we know where you're coming from," George concurred, "Better to deal with the devil you know, am I right?"

     "That you are," Bart said, as being called a devil was no where near the worst thing someone said about him. "I will never forgive you for leaving the gang and becoming a lawman of all things!"

     "I got married," George reminded him, "You should try it sometime."

     "I don't Daisy would appreciate me getting a girlfriend," Bart said, laughing at his own joke a little too much.

     "Maybe she can be the girlfriend," George suggested, "Get hitched and make an honest woman of her and raise a few kids."

     "Not in the cards, my friend." Bart said, "I already went down that road, and I can't do it again."

     "You were married?" George said, stunned at the thought.

     "Almost," Bart corrected him, "It didn't work out and we went our separate ways. I still think about her and what might have been."

     "Bart the lovestruck fool," George said, "Now I have seen it all."

     "Hush your tongue," Bart said playfully, "I have a reputation to maintain."

     "Apologies," George said again, "Let's eat and speak no more of it."

     "That's better," Bart said, and smiled as their food arrived just as it was mentioned. The body that Bart had dropped to the floor earlier was already gone and since George had made no effort to arrest him for it, no one else had an issue with it and said nothing. The two men seemed to settle down and enjoy a meal together before eventually going their separate ways for the day, as their jobs and lifestyles led them down different paths. It was only at this time before the days started that they could share company and not have to feel guilty over what one or both of them night do later that day.

     "Please try to make that the only person you shoot today," George requested.

     "I cannot make any promises," Bart said, "But I will try."