“All right!” she said when she caught the next throw. “This isn’t bad. Watch me chuck it to you. Watch me roll out for the pass. Watch me… ooof!” She tripped over the curb and crashed into her garbage can.

Dave waited a minute to see if she’d get up. “Are you hurt?”

“Yes.”

He walked over to her. “Are you hurt bad?”

“Yes.”

He bent down. “Where?”

“Everywhere.”

“No place special?”

She propped herself up on her elbows. “My leg. My right leg.”

“Can you move your foot? Can you stand?”

She made an attempt and sucked in her breath. “No. Damn!”

“All right. No reason to panic. You stay there. Don’t move, and I’ll be right back.” He returned with scissors and cut her jeans off above the knee so they could see the leg.

“Well, at least there aren’t any bones sticking out,” she said, thankful she’d shaved her legs. “Now what?”

He took his keys from his pocket and unlocked his car. “Now we take you to the hospital to get an X-ray.”

Four hours later they arrived home in a limo.

Elsie rushed out the front door, peered into the car, and put her hand to her chest. “Lord, I thought somebody’d died. What are you doing in this thing?”

Kate pointed to the huge white cast on her leg. “I broke my leg, and I couldn’t get this plaster monstrosity into the Porsche, so Mr. Big Bucks rented a limo.”

“How’d you break your leg?”

Dave passed the crutches to Elsie and helped Kate out of the car. “We were playing football, and she tackled a garbage can.”

“She don’t look too happy about it.”

Dave paid the driver. “She’s mad because I made her cancel all her lessons for today.”

Kate grabbed her crutches and stuffed them under her armpits. “And then he called the orchestra and told them I was confined to my bed!”

“The doctor said she has to keep her leg elevated for four or five days.” Dave handed the crutches back to Elsie and scooped Kate into his arms.

“Put me down!”

“Soon as I get you into the house.”

Kate wriggled. “You’re going the wrong way.”

“I’m taking you to my place. It’ll be easier to take care of you there.”

“No!”

“Yes. I was the one who forced you to play football, and I’m the one who’s going to nurse you back to health.”

“Elsie, do something. Are you just going to stand there and let him kidnap me?”

“Sure,” Elsie said. “Dave, am I still invited to dinner on Saturday?”

Dave carried Kate up the stairs and balanced her on his knee while he opened the door. “You bet. Four o’clock.” He swung Kate inside and closed the door with his foot.

“I thought you’d invited my parents for dinner on Saturday.”