Bucking the Rules Read Online Free PDF Page B

toward a back table.
    Jo looked up from the pint she was pouring and tried to focus. “The entire back of the bar is full of guys.”
    â€œGuys, sure. But a real man? Come on, Jo. Don’t tell me you can’t see him.” Amanda took the glass from Jo’s hand and switched places. “See him now? Red shirt, brown hair, sitting in the back with Red Callahan? That’s Trace Muldoon.”
    Jo struggled to remember who Red Callahan was. The name was familiar, but no mental picture was springing up. Despite her years and years as a bartender, server, manager, and sometimes bouncer, she’d never quite picked up the habit of being great with names and faces. “Still batting zero, here.”
    â€œOh, my God. You are hopeless.” Amanda slid the beer three seats down into waiting hands. She finally squared Jo’s shoulders and pointed straight ahead. “See?”
    Jo squinted, and finally saw what Amanda wanted her to. A good-looking man. Two of them, in fact. Though Jo struggled to remember which one was the guy she supposedly knew. “And Callahan would be . . . ?”
    â€œThe other one. The unavailable one. He’s with Peyton Muldoon now.”
    â€œOh, Peyton. Right.” Peyton, Jo knew. She always appreciated another female making it in a man’s world, doing the unexpected. Though they were opposites in many ways, Jo enjoyed Peyton’s company on the infrequent times she stopped in. “Muldoon. So is he Peyton’s brother? Cousin? Other random relation?”
    â€œBrother.” Amanda snorted. “Seriously, how do you live in this town and not know everything? This place runs on red meat and gossip. It’s been a year. Get with the program.”
    â€œI live where I work, and I hate listening to gossip.” Jo hauled a bus tub full of empties and kicked the kitchen door open. “Full tub!”
    The dishwasher of the evening came and grabbed the tub from her.
    â€œThank you.” She let the door swing back closed and headed to wash her hands.
    â€œI thought you loved gossip.”
    â€œRight, well, you hear enough. . . .” Her mother loved to gossip, about everyone. Since Jo moved, that was the only thing their conversations seemed to consist of. Months of gossip-heavy phone calls with her mother had sort of killed any love of that particular form of conversation.
    â€œSo, what do you think?”
    â€œWell, I’m a dozen yards away from the guy, and I still don’t even know if I’m looking at the right one. But overall, I’d say he’s obviously cute, or else he wouldn’t have gotten your attention.”
    Amanda smiled. “He’s cute, all right. He used to compete on the pro rodeo circuit; then he came home when their mama died. He was always a cutie in school, but he’s really filled out. Of course, there’s always the matter of his—”
    â€œAmanda.”
    â€œYeah?”
    Jo picked up another drink ticket from the printer and started finding the bottles listed. “You know I adore you. And you’re my best server.”
    â€œYup.”
    â€œBut if you don’t get your cute little ass from behind my bar and out serving drinks and stop filling my head with gossip I didn’t ask for, I will seriously consider docking your pay.”
    Amanda just smiled at the empty threat and filled a tray with the bottles from the order. “Well, don’t mind me. I’m going to go scout out the playing field, see if there are any other contenders.”
    â€œHave fun,” Jo said with a laugh.
    Twenty minutes later, a new face settled down in front of her at the bar.
    Or, rather, a surprising face. New? Not so much. Not since Amanda made a big-ass deal over him.
    â€œChanging scenery?” Jo leaned over the bar, as much as she could at her height, and smiled.
    Trace Muldoon smiled easily. “Change the scenery, change the experience.”
    â€œAnd exactly