Hoof beats pounded outside the barn. Everyone crowded into the doorway, straining to see the loose horse.
Caroline followed, thinking this would be her moment to get to the stallion barn unseen. But when the flash of red streaked by the door, panic filled her stomach.
She pushed her way past everyone to the front of the crowd, confirming for herself that Edison was the loose horse. Connor, his dad, and a few stable hands were already at work, trying to catch him.
He was beautiful. He moved with beauty and grace; his tail arched over his back as he avoided the men with ease.
Edison paused for a moment, letting Connor get closer. He had a halter in his hand, and Caroline watched as he approached him like she had that first day, extending his arm out, letting Edison smell him. But Edison wasn’t ready.
He spun away from Connor, leaping in the air and kicking out, missing Connor by inches, sending him to the ground. Caroline ran from the barn, heading for Connor, but Edison saw her first.
He whinnied, galloping straight for her. Caroline froze, fearing that he was going too fast to stop, thinking he would run her over for sure. She lifted her hands out to her side, hoping that would help. “Whoa,” she breathed.
Edison skidded to a stop in front of her. Caroline kept her eyes down, and her voice low, as she stepped to the side, approaching his shoulder. “Easy, bud. Just relax. No one is going to hurt you.”
Caroline stretched out her arm and rubbed him with her knuckles, as she had before. Edison twitched and arched his neck, but he didn’t run. “Thatta boy. Just stay with me here, okay?”
Connor walked up behind her. “Caroline, here, you better put it on him. I don’t think he’ll let me.”
Caroline reached behind with her free hand, opening her palm for the halter. When she felt the leather in her hand, she closed her fingers around it. She pulled it around in front of her. Edison snorted.
“Hey now, it’s okay. It’s just me. We’re gonna put this on you and get you back to your stall.” Edison looked at her sideways as she guided the halter onto his head, buckling it by his ear. She took a step back and started to walk him towards his barn.
Edison tossed his head in protest to the pressure on the lead rope. Caroline looked up at his eyes and saw a familiar expression. Anger and panic filled his face and he jerked, pulling at the rope in her hand, trying to regain his freedom. He reared, pawing at the air. The sudden movement knocked her off her feet.
“Edison, whoa!” Caroline gripped at the rope as she struggled to get up. She managed to stand as Edison landed, and put her hand on his neck to calm him down, to keep him from going up again.
“Caroline, are you okay?” Connor put his hand on her shoulder.
Her throat was closing, and no audible words came out of her mouth. Dark circles closed in around her, impairing her sight. She tried to blink them away, but a picture from her past flooded her vision.
The horse’s emotions were the same, but he was grey instead of red. He was lying on his side, thrashing and screaming as he tried to get up. Caroline was on the ground next to him, struggling to get up herself, but she couldn’t. His weight on her legs was too great, and her left foot was caught in the stirrup underneath him. She tried to soothe him, but their pain had been too extreme…
What happened to the grey horse? Will Caroline ne able to help Edison? Order an ebook edition of Caroline’s Purpose for $.99 on Amazon, Kobo, or Apple Books to find out.
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One Word at a Time 