Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

P erry

The familiar scent of bacon and coffee fills the air as we walk into the Copper Country Café. It's a cozy place, all warm wooden booths and mismatched chairs, with locals scattered around, sipping their coffee and catching up on gossip. Knox walks beside me, his large frame cutting a strong silhouette in the soft afternoon light. I'm still getting used to the way people look at him—the mixture of respect and curiosity.

"Afternoon, Knox," an older man in the corner says with a tip of his hat. Knox gives him a brief nod, his hand resting lightly at the small of my back as he guides me toward a booth. It's a simple touch, but it sends warmth flooding through me, grounding me in the present.

We barely settle in when I hear Betty's voice calling across the café. "Well, well, if it isn't Knox Steele and his lovely lady friend!" Her voice, loud and full of warmth, carries across the room. I freeze for a moment, my cheeks heating up as every head turns in our direction.

Knox just chuckles under his breath, clearly unfazed by the attention. He stretches his arm along the back of the booth, leaning into the wooden seat with that natural, easy confidence of his. Meanwhile, I'm desperately trying to keep my face from burning any redder.

Betty comes bustling over, wiping her hands on her apron, her grin wide and mischievous. She's known the Steele brothers for ages, and she's notorious for teasing them like they're her own kids. "About time you found yourself a bride, Knox. We were all starting to think you'd be a bachelor forever." She winks at me, making it worse, and I feel my face flame even hotter.

I glance at Knox, half-expecting him to brush off Betty's teasing, but to my surprise, his lips curl into an amused smirk. He looks down at me, that intense blue gaze of his softening just a bit. "Careful, Betty," he says, his voice low but playful. "People might start thinking you fancy yourself the matchmaker of Copper Mountain."

Betty snorts, crossing her arms in mock indignation. "I am the matchmaker and you know it. Especially for you Steele boys. I've got an instinct for these things."

She leans in conspiratorially toward me, lowering her voice like she's sharing a secret. "You see, Perry, all these Steele brothers—hardened, rough around the edges—but deep down, they've got the biggest, mushiest hearts. They just need the right woman to bring it out of them."

I can't help but laugh, even though I'm still blushing from head to toe. There's something so comforting about Betty, and the way she so confidently lays out what she sees. I'm not sure whether to be embarrassed or amused, but her infectious energy makes it hard not to smile.

Knox lets out a low chuckle, his fingers brushing my shoulder briefly as if to reassure me. "Don't let her fool you," he says, leaning in closer, his voice teasing. "Betty's been trying to marry me off since I was twelve."

Betty huffs and waves him off, but there's a twinkle in her eye as she turns to head back toward the counter. "You'll see, Knox Steele. One of these days, I'll be right." She shoots us both one last look over her shoulder before disappearing behind the counter, leaving me feeling both flustered and a little giddy.

Once she's gone, I let out a breath. Knox watches me with a slight smile playing on his lips, his expression more relaxed than I've seen it in a while. There's a softness in his eyes that makes my heart skip a beat, and I realize how much I enjoy seeing this side of him—the side that's teasing and playful, the side that lets down his guard just enough to show me the man beneath the brooding exterior.

"You're adorable when you're flustered," he says, his voice low enough that only I can hear it.

I roll my eyes, trying to play it off, but the way he's looking at me—like I'm something he can't take his eyes off of—makes it impossible to keep a straight face. "I think you just enjoy watching me squirm," I reply, crossing my arms over my chest, though there's no real heat in my words.

Knox's grin widens slightly. "Maybe. But I'd say it's more that I just enjoy watching you."

His words hit me like a jolt of electricity, sending a shiver down my spine. There's a tension in the air between us, one that's been building for a while now, simmering beneath the surface. I've seen how he looks at me when he thinks I'm not paying attention, the way his eyes linger on me just a little too long, the way his body tenses when we're close.

It's like the air between us is charged, waiting for something to ignite it.

I'm about to respond when Betty reappears with two cups of coffee and a plate of biscuits, setting them down in front of us with a knowing smile. "On the house," she says, winking at me before heading back to the counter.

I raise an eyebrow at Knox. "Do you get special treatment everywhere you go?"

He shrugs, lifting his cup to his lips. "What can I say? People like me."

I laugh, shaking my head. "Humble too, I see."

Knox leans back in his seat, his eyes never leaving mine. "I'm not trying to be humble, Perry. Just honest."

And there it is again—that subtle shift in the air, that undercurrent of something deeper. I can feel the weight of his words, the way they linger between us, heavy with unspoken meaning. My pulse quickens, and I wonder how much longer we can keep dancing around this, pretending like the pull between us isn't growing stronger by the day.

"So," I say, trying to lighten the mood, "was Betty always this… persistent?"

Knox chuckles, clearly amused by my attempt to change the subject. "Oh, yeah. She's been trying to set me and my brothers up with half the town since we were kids. She likes to meddle."

I smile, imagining a younger version of Knox being harassed by a much younger, but just as determined, Betty. "She seems to care about you a lot."

Knox nods, his expression softening. "She does. Betty's good people. She's like family, in a way."

I take a sip of my coffee, letting his words sink in. There's a tenderness in the way Knox talks about Betty, a glimpse into the softer side of him that he keeps hidden most of the time. It's moments like these that remind me how much more there is to him than the tough, guarded man he projects to the world.

We spend the rest of lunch talking about lighter things—the café, his brothers, the truck we've been working on—but the tension between us never fully fades. It lingers, simmering just beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to boil over.

By the time we leave the café, I'm buzzing with the need to be closer to him, to finally break through the walls he keeps so carefully constructed around himself. But I know it's not going to be easy. Knox is complicated—wounded in ways that make him afraid to let anyone in. I can see it in the way he watches me, like he wants to get closer but is scared of what will happen if he does.

As we walk back toward the truck, Knox's hand brushes mine, sending a shock of heat through me. He doesn't pull away, and neither do I. The simple touch is enough to remind me of all the things we haven't said yet, all the feelings we've kept bottled up for far too long.

"Ready to head back?" he asks, his voice low and rough.

I nod, though my heart is pounding in my chest. "Yeah."

We climb into the truck, the silence between us thick with unspoken words. As Knox starts the engine, I can't help but wonder how much longer we can keep this up—how much longer we can pretend like we're not falling into something neither of us is quite ready for.

But one thing's for sure: whatever happens next, it's going to be impossible to ignore the fire that's already started to burn between us.