Linda Hanna – Real Life Romance – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Contemporary Romance author, Linda Hanna shares how she met her husband, plus a chance to win a copy of her title with co-author, Deborah Dulworth, Come Next Winter. Comment or answer the question at the end of any post dated March 7 – 10 to enter the drawing. Deadline: March 18th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Linda:


How I Met My Future Spouse by Linda Hanna

Sometimes what you’re looking for comes when you’re not looking at all.
Whoever offered that little pearl of wisdom was spot on. The boys/men in my sphere were a disappointment. It seemed the ones asking me out wanted more than I was willing to give. At nineteen, I was tempted to write off dating and quite possibly the entire male species.
That’s when my future husband unexpectedly entered my life. We met on a blind date. Not just any blind date, mind you. We set it up ourselves. Some people might call it a coincidence, but we think it was God’s plan. Let me share our story with you.
It all began in September of that year. My landlord, Ron, decided to relax the usual rental standards and his new tenants were having wild drug parties several times a week. The potheads constantly rang my doorbell, and cursed as they tried to kick the door in. It terrified me. Calling the police was futile because the junkies fled out the back when they heard sirens. Complaining of the harassment to Ron was pointless, too.
However, after three weeks, he let me out of the lease without any penalties. He realized the safety of a 20-year-old was in jeopardy and it would be in his best interest to get me out of there. This was good news, of course, but a new problem arose. The apartment complexes in the area had long waiting lists. Would I have to move home?
The first week in October, a young woman contacted me. Claire explained her mother’s cousin was a member of my dad’s former church. She was looking for a roommate and Lee told her I was, too. That surprised me. How did he know? By this time, my folks were living in another state, and I hadn’t talked to anyone connected to that small town since moving away months before. Only Ron knew of my apartment search.
She took me to see her apartment. It was a relatively new complex, in a safe location, and a short drive from work. The price was right, and because moving back in with Mom and Dad wasn’t on my bucket list, I signed on the dotted line.
Saturday, October 14, was moving day. Claire was out so I had the place to myself. Several hours into unpacking, the phone rang. The man on the other end of the line had a deep, manly voice that immediately caught my attention. Bill wanted to talk to Claire. I told him she went to see her mother. We began talking and before we knew it, ninety minutes had passed.
He needed to talk to Claire, so we said goodbye. A few minutes later, the phone rang again. It was Bill. Her mother said she left. Since she still wasn’t home, we got into another deep, hour-long conversation where he nonchalantly mentioned they worked together and had been casually dating. His real reason for calling was to apologize for saying something unkind during an argument the night before. Even though it was true, it should’ve remained unsaid.
Shortly after we hung up, a friend of mine dropped by to offer extra ‘muscle’. Once he carried the dresser inside and put the bed together, we went out for a coke.
Back home, Claire opened the door before I could unlock it. “So, you’ve been talking to Bill all afternoon?” I nodded and held my breath. Would she kick me to the curb? She asked if I liked him. (Duh, we talked all afternoon! Of course I liked him.) Then she dropped a bombshell. Bill wanted to ask me out.
My stomach twisted into a knot. Men! Casual or not, he was seeing her for crying out loud. That type of behavior started my self-imposed dating hiatus in the first place. She grinned and emphasized they were co-workers and went out strictly as friends. I still wasn’t convinced. Was she pushing him on me because of that argument? Meanwhile, she secretly dialed his number. “Bill? Here’s Linda.”
Once I scraped my jaw from the floor, we talked for the third time that day. He seemed so sincere asking if we could go out that night, my apprehension melted. Although exhausted from moving, the girl who recently thought about writing off men entirely still said yes.
We went to a small restaurant and talked for nearly two hours before it was time for the drive home. Would he try to paw me like the others? Nope. Bill was a true gentleman all evening.
Ten months later, we married and will soon celebrate our 44^th anniversary. By the way, we still celebrate the anniversary of our blind date.
About Linda: Linda Hanna has written magazine articles, devotionals, as well as partnering her skills with businesses, schools, and churches. She’s a Christian wife, mother, grandmother and as a Preacher’s Kid, has been active with church related projects since birth. An avid collector of snowmen, she also enjoys a good archeological dig in antique stores with Bill. They make their home in central Indiana.

About the book – Come Next Winter:

When tragedy hits her family, Carol Mason struggles to forge a new life for herself and her surviving sons. Though Vermont has been their home for twenty years, betrayal and misunderstanding force Carol to leave the mountains she loves and return to her hometown of Apache Pointe, Arizona. There she is welcomed by scorching heat, lizards, scorpions, and (gulp) Aunt Penny.
Carol finds a sympathetic friend in her cousin Millie as she does her best to put the pieces of her shattered life back together. But her prayers for guidance and a decent place to live away from Aunt Penny’s disapproving eye go unanswered. Has God turned a deaf ear to her just when she needs Him the most?
The answer might be found in the handsome pastor of her family’s church. Frank is everything she would look for in a spouse. If she were looking. Which she is not. Especially when she discovers that Millie has set her hopes on becoming the pastor’s next wife. Aunt Penny’s outrageous attempts to ensure that Millie wins Frank’s heart bring Carol’s past crashing into her present, and might destroy any chance she has at a happy future.
The writing team of Hanna and Dulworth deliver a story full of love and faith, and sprinkled with touches of humor that will have you wondering whether laugh or cry.

Connect or Learn more on Linda and Deb’s Book Nook: Linda and Deb’s Facebook

Question for Readers: Have you ever experienced an instant connection with someone?

Come back March 17th for Deborah Dulworth!

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