Perfectly Dateless (27 page)
I never see anyone but Max. His guidance is sure and my heart is pure, not cluttered by things that don’t matter. “Bible college,” I tell him when his forehead is pressed against mine. “I’ve been rethinking it.”
“You’d make a perfect pastor’s wife.”
“You know, I’ve heard that somewhere before.”
He touches the purity ring my father gave me. “I looked at that photograph again and again, and dreamed of this ring and the day it would be mine. With all the t’s crossed, of course.”
I have no idea what my tango looked like, I only know the night was truly perfect.
A book is a compilation of so many people’s efforts. Since I first met editor Lonnie Hull DuPont (in the late nineties at the Mount Hermon Writers Conference), I have wanted to work with her. Our schedules both finally meshed, and this book is the result.
Working with Lonnie and her team was as great as I knew it would be. Twila Bennett, thank you for the beautiful cover choices and the thought behind the art. Janelle Mahlmann, thank you for keeping me on track and ahead of the game plan. Jessica Miles, you went above and beyond the call of duty with your galley fixes. You are all fabulous to work with, and I consider it an honor.
And finally, to my agent, Lee Hough, for putting up with my loud, rushed cell phone calls from soccer game bleachers and whirring coffee shop lines—and anywhere else you happened to catch me during my kids’ hectic schedule. Your flexibility is most appreciated.
Kristin Billerbeck
is the bestselling author of several novels, including
What a Girl Wants
. A Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year, Billerbeck has appeared on
The Today
Show
and has been featured in the
New York Times
. She lives with her family in northern California.