Crazy for You

Crazy For You

by Maddie James

Crazy For You

Copyright © 2011, Maddie James

Digital ISBN: 9781937389161

Cover Art Design by Kim Jacobs

Photo by Jimmy Thomas, Romance Novel
Covers

Electronic release, July 2011

Previously published in print format by
Kensington Publishing Corporation,

October 1, 1999.

Published by Turquoise Morning Press for
Smashwords

Turquoise Morning, LLC

www.turquoisemorningpress.com

Turquoise Morning, LLC

P.O. Box 43958

Louisville, KY 40253-0958

Smashwords Edition, License

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Reviews for Maddie James

Rawhide and Roses

“Maddie James is such an excellent writer and
her descriptions and dialogue make every adventure even more
exciting.” ~Long and Short Reviews, 4 Books

Hard Candy Kisses

“Her characters are dynamic, vibrant people
that become great friends as you read through the series.” ~ Brenda
Talley, The Romance Studio, 5 Hearts

Murder on the Mountain

If you enjoy a good suspense novel, grab this
story as quickly as possible. Beware; it is difficult to stop
reading once you start.

~Night Owl Reviews, 4 1/2 Stars, Top Pick

Red: A Seduction Tale

“…a sassy, enthralling, and truly a masterful
tale of what really went on between Little Red Riding Hood and the
Big, Bad Wolf... Ms. James deserves high praise for creating such
an incredible tale.” ~Amanda Haffery, 5/5 Dark Angel Reviews

A Perfect Escape

From the opening page, an intricate plot of
mystery and suspense is set in play. James deftly combines romance
and suspense, so hop on for an exhilarating ride.

~Sandra Garcia-Myers, RT Book Reviews, 4
Stars

The Curse

...beautifully written, sensual and
emotional…a compelling read.

~ Five Red Roses. Red Roses Reviews

She’s Tofu

A lovely nineties-style flower child, Tasha
Smith enjoys her laid-back life at the shop where she sells organic
fruits and vegetables, even though lately she’s been in a funk over
a broken engagement. Determined to shake her blues, she heads down
to a resort in sunny Jamaica, and along the way, hooks up with a
most unlikely companion—a workaholic salesman who has no idea how
sexy he looks in his Brooks Brothers suit!

He’s Beefsteak

Andrew Jacob Powel III reluctantly heads to
Jamaica after winning the trip for high salesman of the month. He
figures while there, he’ll handout business cards and make some new
connections. But when he connects with Tasha, his professional
poise begins a slow unraveling. She is at turns enchanting and
exasperating—and adorably determined to tease him out of his
conservative shell, not to mention that Brooks Brothers suit.

Even as a sultry passion takes them both by
surprise, Andrew and Tasha know they’ll have to return to their
very different lives—but their hearts keep telling them they belong
together. And hearts never lie…

Who knew getting naked could be so
funny?

One

Pinebow Springs, Colorado

June, 1996

I can’t do it.

Tasha Smith glanced to her right at her
fiancé, Mark Tyler. His black suit fit nicely. The crisp white
shirt he wore was starched to perfection his gray striped tie was
tucked neatly between his lapels. Every hair was combed into place
with exact precision. He was handsome, with chiseled features and a
body that wouldn’t quit. Of course she’d thought that since they
were children. She was deeply fond of him, and he loved her, she
knew. But as he stared straight ahead, a slight smile on his lips,
listening intently to the minister’s words, she couldn’t help
thinking the thought that had run through her head for weeks
now.

Longer, if she really cared to admit it.

I can’t go through with this
.

Slowly, she angled her gaze toward the
minister. His lips were moving but her brain didn’t comprehend a
single spoken word. Glancing lower, she caught sight of her own
attire. She’d purchased the dress in Denver months ago. The gauzy,
cream-colored fabric flowed from high under her breasts, the empire
style accentuating her slim waist. The hemline was long and swirled
around her ankles. Blades of grass poked at her feet between the
straps of her tan sandals. All around her, Rocky Mountain nature
called, luring her thoughts away from the activity going on around
her.

Her mother’s garden was such a beautiful
setting for a wedding. The floral essence was so romantic against
the crisp-clean mountain air. They had planned this for so long.
Too long, actually, it always seemed they were putting it
off....

A breeze blew playfully through her long,
brunette hair and Tasha silently wished she could sail away on that
breeze to some distant, mythical place where she wouldn’t be
troubled by the right, or the wrong, thing to do.

Opening her eyes wide at that revelation,
realization hit like a fist of ice into her belly. Oh, God. She was
making a terrible mistake.

I really can’t do this.

With a quick glance at Mark, she let her hand
drop from his grasp. The other arm fell and the bouquet she carried
lay loose in her hand.

Mark glanced at her, then sharply back to the
minister.

“...and so if there is anyone here with just
reason as to why these two young people should not be joined in
Holy Matrimony today, let them come forward now, or forever hold
their peace.”

Tasha let her wedding bouquet fall completely
to the ground.

Silence.

With her gaze turned toward Mark, she heaved
in a deep sigh and silently met his questioning stare.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Turning, she ran blindly up the aisle through
the garden.

Two

Naturally, Pinebow Springs, Colorado

One month later

“Go on. Get away from here for a while.”

Tasha looked at her mother and tossed her a
sarcastic smile. “Oh, yeah? And who will run the shop while I’m
gone?”

“Me! Who else?” Her mother grinned
broadly.

Tasha laughed. “You? I can barely get you to
work twenty hours a week, with all of your pet projects! And where
would I go, anyway?”

“Oh, there are places.”

Just like her mother to be vague, mysterious,
and smiling like a Cheshire cat all the while.

Time had flown since she’d left Mark at the
alter. Tasha Smith, runaway bride, who woulda thought? She’d been
avoiding Mark for way too long, trying to get her head together. It
was difficult. He called the shop every day or so, just to see how
she was doing, but she’d asked her mother to fend off his calls. It
was difficult enough to speak to him, not to mention facing
everyone else in town.

Life in Pinebow Springs, where everyone knows
everyone else—and their business—made things difficult enough.
Sure, it
was
possible she needed to get away for a while,
but this little shop was her livelihood and—

“What did you say, Moontasha?”

Surprised, she glanced back to her mother.
“Did I say something?”

“You were muttering.”

“I was?”

“Umhmm, you were.”

Tasha waved her mother off, barely throwing
her a glance. Should she take some time off? This thing with Mark
was a bit unnerving. But, she really didn’t have the money to go
anywhere just now. Maybe in the spring....

The bell over the door chimed and Tasha
glanced up. Her mother, of course, had disappeared. She’d have to
think about this later.

Running a hand through her waist-length hair,
she approached her customer. Her bare feet padded across the smooth
plank floor as she straightened the loose, ankle-length, cotton
dress draped around her tall, thin body. Tucking a stray strand of
hair behind her right ear, she approached the woman from the
side.

“Help you find anything?” Tasha offered a
smile.

“Tomatoes,” the woman answered bluntly,
fingering a plump ripe one in her hand then turning a wary eye on
her. “I want to know about your tomatoes. Where are they
grown?”

Tasha cleared her throat. Her customers were
picky, always wanting to know this and that about her fruits and
vegetables. Well, she couldn’t blame them. In this day and age not
much you came by was grown naturally. She was half afraid to eat
anything she didn’t know where or how it was grown.

Her own interest in the subject and her study
of herbs and essential oils made it a perfect business for her. Her
shop,
Naturally
, catered to those individuals who wanted
only the purest, organically grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs
they could buy. On the side, Tasha had even begun studying
medicinal home remedies using herbs and oils. Recently she’d become
quite taken with the practice of aromatherapy. There was so much to
share with her customers, and most of them were quite
interested.

“Tom Jones farm over in the next county.”
Tasha placed the back of her hand over her mouth and yawned. “Those
on the left were hydroponically grown in a hothouse. No pesticides.
The ones on the right were grown in just plain old dirt. Compost
and manure for fertilization, of course the proper added
nutrients—to the soil, that is,” she returned. “How many can I get
you?”

The woman assessed her. Tasha was known for
her candid manner and it had paid off in her business. Her
customers wanted to know what was what and she gave it to them up
front. Word of mouth brought her most of them. She was actually
quite proud of her success.

“I’ll take about three pounds of those on the
right. No, better make it four. I’m canning marinara.” Then she
snapped her fingers. “Do you have any fresh basil?”

“On the back wall,” Tasha returned. “You want
to pick out your tomatoes?” Tasha returned.

The customer nodded as though the idea were
her own, reached for a brown paper bag on the shelf above the
tomatoes, then began to gingerly lay several in the bottom.

“Bring them over when you’re ready and I’ll
weigh them,” Tasha threw over her shoulder as she headed back
toward the counter. “Got some nice sweet corn over there, too.
Sweet as sugar. Came from the Sagesar place over by the river. Good
bottom land. Might want to check them out.”

The woman nodded and turned away. Tasha
returned to the counter, suddenly lost in thought again. Maybe she
should try to get away--nervous as a cat. She’d drunk so much
Valerian tea the past month her nerves should be calm and darned
near sedated. But they weren’t.

Perhaps her mother was right; she did need to
get away. And she did need to talk to Mark, eventually. She
recalled their brief conversation after the non-wedding…

You have to talk to him.

I can’t.

You must, Tasha. You’ve just broken that
young man’s heart. You have to say something. Explain.

Tasha remembered lifting her gaze from the
wet and knurled tissues in her lap to her mother’s unhappy, but
sympathetic face. Her mother was right. She should talk to Mark.
But at that moment she couldn’t bear it. She could barely stand
herself.

He’ll never forgive me, Mama. And I don’t
blame him. He’s my best friend. I’ve loved him since I was a child.
I’m just not in love with him. And I’ve led him on for way too
long, Mama. I should have told him months ago. I should have been
straight with him.

Yes, you should have, but you didn’t. Don’t
make the same mistake twice. Talk to the man, Tasha.

“
No. No. I can’t. Not now.”

The rattling of a paper sack caught her
attention and she turned back to the customer gathering tomatoes.
This was all just a little too much, wasn’t it? Perhaps her mother
was right. She had a little money put back and her mother knew it.
Just like her to plant seeds in her head. Violet knew her all too
well. The idea intrigued her more with each passing moment.

Maybe she’d find one of those New Age spas.
She could hike everyday and commune with nature. Perhaps she’d take
up meditating again. Brush up on her yoga. She’d been far too
stressed lately. It was time to get back on track and in tune with
her life. Deep in her heart she knew that she and Mark should never
have attempted marriage. They were too good of friends to destroy
that relationship with marriage. Soon, he would come to see that.
She just had to put his pain out of her mind for a while.