Detours by Jane Vollbrecht

It should have been a typical day of trimming shrubbery and edging lawns, but Gretchen VanStantvoordt-known to everyone as Ellis-first gets caught in a traffic jam and then lands in the emergency room with a badly sprained ankle. Mary Moss, a new-found friend who was caught in the same traffic jam, convinces Ellis that trying to tend to her dog and negotiate the stairs at her walk-up apartment while on crutches isn't such a good idea. Without friends or family in the vicinity, Ellis accepts Mary's offer for assistance.When Ellis meets Natalie, Mary's nine-year-old daughter, she's ready to make tracks away from Mary as quickly as possible, but her bum ankle makes that impossible. Ellis stays with Mary and Natalie while she recovers. Little by little, Ellis develops a fondness for young Natalie. and develops something much deeper for Mary.