He dodged a chunky shape that he thought might be an armchair and stepped on something small and sharp, probably one of the Legos he’d seen scattered around. The house was big and luxurious, set deep into the Wisconsin woods, with trees on three sides and the icy waters of Lake Michigan at the rear.

Damn, it was dark. He headed toward the scratching sound, and just as he reached it, heard the click of the latch. The door began to open.

He felt that adrenaline rush he loved, and in one smooth motion he shoved the door against the wall and grabbed the person on the other side.

The guy was a lightweight, and he came flying.

He was a pansy, too, from the sound of that scream as he hit the floor.

Unfortunately, he had a dog. A big dog.

The hair stood on the back of Kevin’s neck as he heard the low, bloodcurdling growl of an attack dog. He had no time to brace himself before the animal clamped down on his ankle.

With the reflexes that were making him a legend, he lunged toward the switch, at the same time steeling himself for the crunch of his ankle bones. Light flooded the foyer, and he realized two things.

He wasn’t being attacked by a rottweiler. And those panicked sounds weren’t coming from a guy.

“Aw, shit …”

Lying on the slate floor at his feet was a small, screaming woman with hair the color of a 49ers jersey. And clamped to his ankle, ripping holes in his favorite jeans, was a small, gray …

His brain skidded away from the word.

The stuff she’d been carrying when he’d grabbed her lay strewn all around. As he tried to shake off the dog, he spotted lots of books, drawing supplies, two boxes of Nutter Butter cookies, and bedroom slippers with big pink rabbits’ heads on the toes.

He finally shook off the snarling dog. The woman scrambled to her feet and assumed some kind of martial arts pose. He opened his mouth to explain, only to have her foot come up and catch him behind the knee. The next thing he knew, he’d been sacked.

“Damn … It took the Giants a good three quarters to do that.”

She’d been wearing a coat when she hit the floor, but the only thing between him and the slate was a layer of denim. He winced and rolled to his back. The animal pounced on his chest, barking dog breath into his face and slapping him in the nose with the tails of the blue bandanna fastened around his neck.

“You tried to kill me!” she screamed, the fiery little wisps of 49er hair flashing around her face.

“Not on purpose.” He knew he’d met her before, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember who she was. “Could you call off your pit bull?”

Her panicked look was giving way to fury, and she bared her teeth just like the dog. “Come here, Roo.”