“Yeah.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “The guy behind the bar said I’d find you here.”

Thanks for the warning, RJ.

Brody set Joel’s resume down. “Have a seat, Joel.”

Brody could have sworn Charlene actually blushed when Joel looked her up and down. One corner of the man’s mouth kicked up in an almost-wicked grin.

For shit’s sake, is this one going to hit on employees too?

Joel sat down and Brody rolled his eyes when Charlene grinned. She grabbed the door handle and started to pull it closed. “Good luck,” she mouthed, and shut the door with a soft click.

Good luck, his ass.

Brody wasn’t so sure about this guy, who seemed to take in every detail of the office without actually moving. There was a cockiness to him that was reminiscent of RJ, yet not the same. RJ’s cockiness was playful to a point where it was a game to him. This guy sitting in front of Brody was anything but fun and games. He’d been in Brody’s office for about twenty seconds, and Brody could already tell that Joel Garrison took himself way too seriously.

“So, you just moved here from Kentucky,” Brody started. “What brought you to Wyoming?”

Most people just didn’t pick up and move to Trouble. Their little town had a growth rate of about ten percent.

Joel moved his shoulders in a restless shrug. “Just needed a change.”

“And before that?” Brody asked. He picked up the resume again and read it over. “It says here you lived in Kentucky for three years, and before that you were in South Carolina.” He set the paper down. “But you’re originally from Mississippi. Do you have a habit of moving around a lot?”

“When it suits” was all Joel said.

“How do I know it won’t suit you to pick up and move six months after I hire you?”

“Guess you don’t.” A hint of a southern twang colored his voice.

Okay, time to try a different tack.

Brody swiveled back and forth in his chair. “Do you enjoy bartending?”

“I’m good at it. And I enjoy being around people.”

Yeah, you’re a real people person.

The two of them stared each other down like they were about to engage in a pissing contest.

Maybe we ought to just get the dick measuring over with now.

“Do you ever mix your own drinks?” Brody asked instead of demanding that Joel show a little personality.

When Joel smiled he didn’t look like such a hard ass. “Yeah, they’ll put some hair on your chest.”

“Show me.”

Joel stared back at him for a moment, as though he wanted to bolt out the door. Given Brody’s luck with interviews so far, he wouldn’t be all that surprised. Then the guy unfolded himself from the chair with an almost catlike grace that had Brody wondering what Joel Garrison’s story was. Before slapping eyes on him, Brody had no idea it was possible to seem so on edge yet relaxed at the same time.

Must have been a special talent.

They left the office and Brody led Joel to the bar. Behind him, the other man was so silent that Brody had to throw the occasional glance over his shoulder to make sure Joel hadn’t disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“This is a nice place you have here,” Joel commented. “Nicer than any bar I’ve worked in.”

Brody didn’t doubt that. “Thanks,” he said. “But we’re more of a restaurant than a bar.”

Joel didn’t respond to that. Instead his eyes were roaming around their surroundings, touching on every surface, every picture, and every person.

Agitated much?

“What happened to the other bartender?” Joel asked as he removed his leather jacket.

“Turns out the guy’s a hell of a cook. We moved him to the kitchen.”

Joel nodded. “Lucky him. I can’t cook for shit.”

What a shock.

Joel pinned him with dark eyes. “So what do you want me to do first?”

Maybe crack a smile? Brody kept the comment to himself and lifted his hand. “Make me something.”

“Anything?” Joel asked with a lifted brow.

“Start with something basic.”

Joel was already moving toward the glasses, where he snagged a highball. “Will a gin and tonic do?”

“Yeah,” Brody said with a nod.

Then he stood back and watched as Joel Garrison whipped out a bottle of Bombay Sapphire, some tonic water, and a lime wedge. In practically one fluid motion, the guy poured the liquor in the highball glass and stuck the lime wedge on the lip of the glass. He made it look as easy as pouring a soda.

Probably because it was. And Brody realized that any fool could throw together a gin and tonic. He accepted the drink when Joel held it out.

“Not bad,” Brody commented after taking a small sip. “Can you do something a little more complex?”

Joel lifted one shoulder. “I can do anything you want.”

No kidding?

“Do you serve mojitos here?” Joel wanted to know.

Brody nodded. “Yeah.”

Joel grabbed another highball and set it on the bar. Most bartenders took their time with mojitos in order to get just the right amount of mint released into the drink. Not this Cheers graduate. And, actually, the speed in which Joel made the drink had Brody a little leery. But he took the finished drink from the guy anyway and sampled it.

“Damn,” he said, then took another sip. “That’s good. Where’d you learn how to mix like this?”

“Just a lot of practice,” Joel answered.

“In the military?” He gestured toward the dog tags hanging around the guy’s neck.

“Nope.”

Okay, then. “What else can you do?”

Joel grabbed a cocktail shaker, poured a variety of liquors in, some ice cubes, tossed the shaker behind his back, caught the thing midair, and gave it a few vigorous shakes before setting it back down on the bar. He even garnished the drink with a lemon after pouring it in a glass.

“That’s called a between the sheets,” Joel said with a nod toward the drink. “Also known as a maiden’s prayer.”

Well, shit. What the hell did Brody know? He wasn’t even sure he’d seen Anthony or RJ make that drink before.

“You used apricot brandy,” he said as he picked up the cocktail and tested it.

“Peach schnapps is good with it too,” the other guy said.

Brody nodded, and tried another sip. Man, if he drank much more, he’d spend the rest of his day with light buzz. Maybe after this he’d have to go take a nap.

“I’ve showed you just about everything I’ve got. Good enough for you?” he asked while running a hand through his hair.

Yeah, Joel could pour drinks better than anyone Brody had ever seen. But how committed would he be? The man had “drifter” written all over him.

On the other hand, he needed to get someone in here so RJ could get back to his own business.

Brody leaned a hip against the bar. “Let me check some references, and I’ll get back to you.”

Joel opened his mouth, which was surrounded by dark stubble, as though he wanted to argue having to wait. Brody had a feeling that Joel Garrison was a man used to getting his way. I’ll-do-what-I-want-and-damn-the-world kind of thing. Well, that wasn’t going to fly on Brody’s watch. If he was going to work here, that attitude would have to be checked at the door.

To Brody’s relief, Joel didn’t argue. “All right, then.” He walked around the bar, grabbed his jacket, and slung it over one shoulder. “Thanks for your time.” With a one-handed salute, Joel sauntered out of the restaurant. A tough exterior like Joel’s usually signaled some kind of vulnerability. Something or someone had wounded him in the past, and now he felt the need to give the world the middle finger.

Some men would have felt threatened by someone like Joel. Brody had no reason to be threatened by the other man. Actually, Brody was intrigued by him because he could relate in some small way.

The paperwork on his desk had been mounting for several days, and Brody would rather stick bamboo shoots under his nails than do it. What he would rather do was go to Elisa and make sure everything was okay. Tears had still stained her cheeks when he’d left her that day. Leaving her in peace had been the right thing to do, even if his heart didn’t agree.

Just as he turned to head toward his office, RJ pushed through the front doors and walked toward him. “Who was the badass in the leather jacket?” he asked point blank because that was the way RJ functioned. No beating around the bush for his stepbrother.

“Possibly your replacement,” Brody answered.

Both RJ’s golden brows lifted up his forehead. “No kidding? I didn’t know you’d been talking to people.”

Brody scrubbed a hand along his already scruffy jaw. “Yeah, listen, you don’t have to be here. I know you have your own things to handle, and we can manage without you for the next few days.”

RJ waved a hand in the air, dismissing Brody’s words. “No, don’t worry about it. Danielle is holding the shop down until I get back. This isn’t a big deal. I was just giving you a hard time because I was pissed off.”

“It is a big deal and I deserved every word you said. You were right about me being distracted.” Brody shoved his hands in his pockets because he wanted to pull his brother into a hug. And RJ didn’t do hugs or any kind of personal contact, really.

“Hey, a woman will do that to you. I say you get a free pass as long as she’s worth it,” RJ added with a devious smile.

And RJ would know all about that. The difference between the two of them was that RJ never seemed to allow a woman to muddle his brain. Except for Rebecca, and Brody wasn’t even going to go there. RJ always clammed up tighter than a bank vault at the mention of the young woman. The dynamic between the two of them was as mysterious as the creation of Stonehenge.