Ladies of Legend: Finding Home
by Maddie James

Synopsis:

The beginning.

Legend, Tennessee - where four women from different backgrounds find security, purpose, love - and their future - in a small town intent on preserving its past.

Ladies of Legend:  Finding Home is an anthology including four novellas:

Claiming the Legend , by Janet Eaves...  Lilly Peach is running from something so frightening it finally takes a whole town to cover her back.

Midnight in Legend, TN , by Magdalena Scott...  Lovely Midnight Shelby finds Legend on the Internet after becoming tired of being one of her now ex-husband's "beautiful things."

Bed, Breakfast, and You , by Maddie James ...  Suzie Schul finds home only when the "fling" she had many months earlier shows up with a plan on her B&B doorstep. 

The Reunion Game, by Jan Scarbrough...  Plain Jane Smith reunites with her long lost love by playing a game of "bait and switch" with her famous twin sister.

Maddie James Novella in this book is titled:

Bed, Breakfast and You:

Suzie Schul is perfectly fine with her perfect little life. Well, of course, her husband Cliff did run off about a year ago with her little sister, and she did have that little fling with that hunky chef Brad in Gatlinburg, ahem, right before Cliff left, but did she still have to be the talk of the town? Of course, the town doesn't know she had left Cliff when she got that job as sous chef for the fancy hotel. And of course they don't know anything about her, um, fling. All that aside, she's learned that time heals all wounds and now, she's perfectly content to live in her little hometown of Legend, Tennessee, work on her cookbook, and run Legend's Landing Bed and Breakfast.

Until Brad Matthews comes to town. Looking for her. And with a plan.

Brad rues the day his Suzette just up and left him without saying good-bye. She could cook better than anyone he knew - in bed and out. Her leaving was just about his undoing. But he kept low, figured out where she lived (those job applications have a lot of information) and worked toward a plan to get her back into his life. Or perhaps the better scenario, implanting himself in her life, and in Legend.

Reviews:

I love stories by Maddie James. Bed, Breakfast, and You , is a fast-moving read that really hooks the reader. Ms. James makes me want to move to Legend.

~5 Cups, Coffee Time Romance

The four stories in the LADIES OF LEGEND: FINDING HOME anthology are heartwarming, exciting, lustful, scintillating, and encouraging. Life doesn't leave you behind in Legend, TN; instead, it offers you more and better than any option you've ever had. Readers will be eagerly awaiting more stories set in lovely little Legend, TN, as is this reviewer. You'll walk away from this anthology with a gladdened heart.

~ 5 Pixies, Dark Angel Reviews

Excerpt:

Suzie pushed away from Brad, settled herself a good five feet away, her backside smacked up against the cooking island, and just looked at him.

There he stood, in the middle of her kitchen, all tall, dark, man-in-black and everything. Blood dripped down his face. He sure had cracked open his eyebrow. She guessed she ' d assisted in that endeavor. But he ' d scared her. Not once, but twice.

What the hell was he doing in her kitchen?

"What the hell are you doing in my kitchen, Brad Matthews?"

He dabbed at his eyebrow. "At the moment I ' m trying to stop this bleeding."

She crossed her arms. "That ' s not what I mean and you know it. What are you doing here , in Legend, bothering me?"

He tossed the bloody towel in the sink and peered straight at her. "Suzette...all right. So we need to talk."

"Darn tootin ' ." Her foot uneasily tapped on the hardwood floors. Suddenly, she felt jittery and nervous.

He moved a step closer. "I ' m worried about your head."

She sidled to the left. "My head is fine. A small bump. No one will be the wiser in the morning."

"I will."

"What?"

"I ' ll be the wiser. I ' ll know."

"Know what?"

"About your bump."

"Forget about the bump! I want to know why you are here and when you are planning to leave."

Brad cleared his throat and took another hesitant step forward. "I suppose that depends on you, Suzette."

Suzie narrowed her gaze. "Don ' t play games with me, Brad," she warned.

He shook his head. "No games, Suzie-Q. I ' m not into playing games. I ' m here for serious business."

Okay, finally we ' re going to get to the root of the matter. "Tell me. What ' s so serious?"

He moved closer. His gaze never left hers. Suddenly, Suzie felt like the world was turning in on her. What was that look on his face? Like he was going to ask her to marry him or something. One of those looks. Oh, God.

"Brad Matthews, stop right where you are. Don ' t take another step."

***

Coming in 2009

Suzie Matthews, from Bed, Breakfast and You , is back! This time she's wreaking havoc as The Matchmaking Chef. Watch for the series in 2009 from Resplendence Publishing.