Wrangling with the Laywer by Fran Louise

enjoying the scenery now that they were out of the city, if her expression was anything to go by. Still watching the road, he stole a few glances at the straight, graceful line her neck made from her jaw down to her delicate collar bone. Her hair was still drying, glistening and fragrant, from her rushed shower that morning, and her soft white sweater and jeans moulded her curves suggestively. She looked so good he wanted to stop the car and just bury himself in her, get lost in the cushiony femininity.
    “I could use a coffee.” She turned to him. Her eyes widened when she caught his expression.
    He frowned, forcing his mind back on to the road. He wasn’t sure what she’d seen, but his thoughts had been pretty heavy. What the hell was wrong with him? Wasn’t it enough that he was in the middle of an emotional crisis? Wanting to have sex with her was one thing... mooning over her like some lovesick puppy was quite another.
    He switched the heating down distractedly. “We can stop at a place in town.”
    “Do your parents know we’re coming?”
    He glanced at her, taking in her pensive features. “Of course. They’re looking forward to it.”
    “Do you have a close relationship with them?”
    He shrugged. What did she define as a good relationship? He visited them regularly and tried to meet their expectations; he wasn’t going to be running up the driveway and enveloping them in bear bugs if that’s what she meant.
    She turned away, silent for a few seconds. He was glad she wasn’t pressing him for a detailed answer. Then curiosity seemed to get the better of her. “What do they do? Are they retired?”
    He smiled, amused by her undaunted interest. “My father’s retired; he trained as a pilot in the air force originally, but entered law later in life. He’s litigator, like me. He’s still active on the board of a couple of firms in the city. He does consultation work for the government occasionally.” Guiding the car into the fast-lane, Gabe checked the traffic and the activity of the kids in the backseat before continuing. “My mother’s Deputy Secretary for Local Government for state of Albany.”
    “Really?” He heard the surprise in Harper’s tone.
    He smiled. “Really.”
    There was a pause. When she finally spoke, Harper sounded genuinely excited. “I can’t wait to meet to them.”
    He glanced at her. She was smiling out at the scenery, quiet again.  An amused frown eclipsed his brow; he couldn’t recall a time when any of his girlfriends had seemed particularly enthralled about meeting his family. He thought about this for a moment, running through the various candidates he’d brought home. He’d always found his parents’ tastes to be too exacting, but he wondered now if it had anything to do with the type of women he dated. He decided he’d have to mull that over at a later time.
    They stopped at a diner close to the town to get coffee. Gabe spent at least five minutes trying to get a complaining Alice into her fleecy jacket after Harper had pointed out how cold it was. Harper and Finn seemed to be ready to go within seconds; he wondered how she did it.  Eventually Harper took Alice with her to the bathroom and Gabe spent a few stress-free minutes sitting at a booth with Finn, watching the start of snow appear outside the windows.
    “It’ll be Christmas soon,” Finn informed him, with the air of someone who knew these things.
    Gabe smiled and sat back to consider this. “In a couple of months, yes. It’s Thanksgiving next month.”
    “I might get a bike this year.”
    The kid was no stranger to getting to the point, Gabe decided. He respected that. “Might?”
    Finn shrugged. “I gotta clean my room. Eat yucky vegetables.”
    “All that for a bike... sounds like a sweet deal to me.”
    “I dunno.”
    He bit back a laugh. “I guess you take what you can get, right?”
    “Yeah...I guess so.”
    Harper arrived back with an upset-looking Alice. Before Gabe could get up,