fiction – Page 2 – One Word at a Time

Caroline’s Purpose: Chapter 9

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 9 of Caroline’s Purpose. This was easily one of my favorite chapters to write.

The vibrations of voices and footsteps added to the chaos of the student union. The wind of the day before had brought rain from a tropical storm in Mexico, forcing the students who liked to eat lunch in the open air to come inside. The tables were jam packed, and Connor couldn’t find a place to sit. He clutched the brown paper Burger King sack in his fist as yet another person collided with him.

He sighed and shook it off, lifting his eyes above the jostling heads as he searched for somewhere he could eat. He turned around the corner into the last section of seating and saw an empty seat at a high-top table for two. The girl sitting there was hovering over a textbook, a pen curled in her hand. Her foot and her head bounced up and down in rhythm with the music from her headphones. As she threw her blonde hair over her shoulder, Connor recognized her. He worked his way through the crowd to the edge of the table.

“Caroline? Can I sit here?” Connor grasped the top of the chair with his free hand. Caroline kept her eyes down on the book in front of her, not hearing him over the noise in the union or her headphones. Connor went ahead and scooted the empty chair out, tossing his lunch sack on the table and slinging his backpack off of his shoulder, and over the side of the chair.

Caroline dropped her pen as she jumped, startled by the motion in front of her. She reached up to pull her headphones out.

Connor paused. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you. I asked if I could sit here, but you didn’t hear me.” Connor pointed to her headphones. “There’s nowhere else to sit. You aren’t waiting on anyone, are you?”

“Oh, no, I’m not. Go ahead. Sorry I didn’t hear you. I was a little wrapped up in Chemistry.” Caroline closed the textbook, leaving her pen in it to mark her page.

“Chemistry or the private concert you had going on in your head?” Connor teased as he sat down. “To me, it looked like you were having more of a dance party than a study session.”

Caroline’s cheeks turned from their normal light pink to a deeper shade of red. She folded her hands in her lap as she sat back in her chair. “Maybe you should eat your lunch before it gets too cold.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Connor grinned as he pulled his burger, fries, and a few napkins out of the bag. He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Lord, thank you for the rain, I know it’s caused the union to be extra crowded and obnoxious today, but we need the rain here in the desert. It’s also allowed me this chance to sit with Caroline, so please show me how to be a friend to her. And thank you for this food that I am about to eat. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Connor lifted his eyes as he unwrapped his burger. Caroline was staring at him, her expression one of curiosity and sadness.

“You’re a Christian?”

“Yes, I am. What about you?” Connor picked up his food and took a bite.

“Used to be.” Caroline shrugged her shoulders as she tilted her head and smiled with half of her mouth.

Connor thought about her statement as he chewed, trying to figure out how to respond. respond as he swallowed. He swallowed. “Used to be,” he repeated. “Do you want to explain that?”

Will Caroline explain to Connor why she doesn’t believe anymore? Order the ebook edition of Caroline’s Purpose to find out. Remember, it’s only $.99 for the month of May!

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Top 100 on Amazon

The ebook edition of Caroline’s Purpose is in the top 100 on Amazon tonight. Remember, you can get your own ebook edition for just $.99 this month on Amazon, Kobo, or Apple Books.

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Caroline’s Purpose: Luna and the Wind

Caroline nodded her head. “Here goes nothing.” She led Luna toward the first cone.

Connor fell into step with her. “Remember what I said, don’t think about the wind. Lead her like you just did and it’ll be over before you know it.”

Caroline didn’t answer as she focused on the cone getting closer with each step. Just one foot in front of the other. That’s all we have to do.

That thought carried their steps to the second cone. Just as Caroline began to ask Luna to trot, the wind howled, lifting Luna’s mane straight off her neck. The filly’s head went straight up in the air as she screeched to a halt. Caroline turned, finding Luna’s gaze locked onto something behind her. The whites of her eyes showed around the black, expressing fear. Caroline looked to see what she was staring at.

The dumpster across the parking lot had blown open. Pieces of trash were racing through the air. A plastic shopping bag was rattling its way straight for Luna.

Caroline froze as the bag dove down and crinkled against Luna’s hind legs. The filly spun around. Caroline gave the rope a quick tug, but it was too late. Luna reared, standing up on her hind legs, pawing the air inches above Caroline’s head with her front hooves…

What happens next? Does Caroline regain control of Luna? To find out, order the ebook edition of Caroline’s Purpose for just $.99 on Amazon, Kobo, or Apple Books

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Caroline’s Purpose: Doubting God

“Connor watched as Caroline ran her fingers through Edison’s forelock. He could see her mouth moving but couldn’t hear anything she was saying. He leaned into the stall door, in awe as the stallion was already as calm as he had been with her the other day. She did have a gift. A gift that she had given up on because of fear. A gift he wanted to help her rediscover.

‘God, help me here. Give me the right words to talk to her.’ he thought to himself.

“Caroline, can I…?” Connor stopped, and cleared his throat.

Caroline looked over her shoulder at him. “Can you ask me something?” She grinned as she teased him.

“Well… yeah. Sorry. Old habits are hard to break.”

She laughed. “No worries. Do you want to come in here? Maybe hand me his grain bucket, see if he’ll eat?”

Connor nodded as he came into the stall. He grabbed the bucket and stepped over to Caroline and Edison. The stallion perked his ears, looking at the bucket with interest.

Caroline took it from Connor and cradled it in her arms. “Hungry, big guy? You can eat.”

Edison put his head down and began chewing on his dinner. Caroline looked up at Connor, her eyes the happiest he had ever seen. “So, what did you want to ask me?”

Connor reached over and patted Edison on the neck. “Remember when we had lunch in the union? You told me you used to believe in God, but you didn’t want to explain it then. Do you think you could now?”

Caroline looked away from him, her eyes falling to Edison’s ears. Connor watched her blink as she bit her lip. He took a step closer to her.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to.” Connor put his hand on her arm.

She looked up at him again as she felt his touch. “No, it’s okay. It’s pretty simple.”

“Simple?”

“Yeah.” Caroline shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve had to deal with too much pain and loss to keep believing He cares about me or my future.”

“I can understand that. Completely.” Connor swallowed.

“You can?” Caroline wrinkled her forehead as she looked at him.

“Yeah, I can.” He had asked God to give him the right words to say to her so many times over the last few months. And now, he knew what he had to do. He had to tell Caroline about Emily.”

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Caroline’s Purpose ebook is available for $0.99 all month!

Remember, you can get the ebook version of Caroline’s Purpose for $.99 all month! Here is an excerpt from the novel:

“Caroline? Caroline Davis?” A female voice spoke from beside her. Caroline turned, and

all of the blood drained from her face.

“It is you! Honey, how are you? I didn’t realize you had started riding again! Is your

mom here, too?” The woman pulled Caroline into a hug. Caroline went through the motions

to hug her back.

“Hi, Mrs. Richardson,” Caroline muttered into the shoulder of one of her mother’s

longtime clients. “No, Mom isn’t here.”

Mrs. Richardson released her from the hug, making eye contact. “What brings you here,

then?”

Caroline gulped. “I’m, um, a friend of Connor Taylor’s. He invited me.”

“Oh, how wonderful! I hear he’s a lovely young man. You’ll have to introduce me to

him. I have a few horses I want to see, but we’ll have to catch up later, okay? I’ll be sure to find

you.” She waved at Caroline as she walked away.

Caroline felt cold, clammy sweat beading at the back of her neck. She looked around

the barn, searching for the bathroom. She found the sign, right next to the feed room.

Flipping on the light, she locked the door behind her. She grabbed a paper towel,

wetting it with cold water from the sink. Placing it on the back of her neck, she closed her eyes

and forced herself to breathe.

You should have considered the possibility someone would recognize you. Why are you even

here?

Two faces appeared in her head as she asked herself that question. Edison. And Connor.

Edison needed her. And she was beginning to admit to herself, she needed him, too. He

was helping her find her way back.

And Connor. He knew pain and how to overcome it. He had found a purpose. She

needed him to show her how.

They were the reasons she was here.

Why is Caroline hiding? Find out by ordering your copy today!
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Found Poem: Caroline’s Purpose

She took a deep breath,
she closed her eyes,
to hesitate, straining to see,
to focus on the script.

Her eyes shined with tears,
identical gazes staring at him.
She was an outsider,
between you and me.

A crisscross of light,
from a white crescent moon,
opened up his heart, to the
hurt she felt inside her chest.

Lanterns caused stones to glisten,
from the rain, from wanting to believe,
From the longing to find a way back,
from wonder turning into a sense of hope,

The first time a smile had ever reached her eyes,
Their elbows brushing every few steps,
cold drops of rain, the sense of relief,
the top of the last hill.

Explanation! I’m teaching my students how to write Found Poetry. You flip through a book or a magazine, or anything with words really, and you make a list of phrases and words that stand out to you. Then, you arrange these phrases and words to write a poem. To give them an example, I used my book, Caroline’s Purpose. Let me know what you think!

If you want to know more about the story behind these words, order your copy of Caroline’s Purpose today!

Alone

Alone. But always facing the sun.
Hope and strength in the unlikeliest
Place.

Broken. But always pushing though.
Beauty and grace from an unexpected
Face.

Growing. Despite the pain and fear.
Faith and courage setting a different
Pace.

Belief. Clinging to what is true.
Lies and doubts disappear, crumbling to
Waste.

Trusting. Even when it’s impossible.
Love and peace from the One who erases
Every mistake.

Caroline’s Purpose: Blame Excerpt

“Caroline put the pile of ribbons aside and came to the last item in the box. To this day, she didn’t know who had been kind enough to do this, to save the only part of Beau they could. She gently fingered the braided piece of black and gray tail that was tied together with maroon ribbon, and lifted it from the box. Maroon had been Beau’s color. She lifted the tail to her face and inhaled. Even after years of being in that box, it still smelled like her beloved partner.

The touch of his tail and the smell of Beau was too much to take. Caroline found herself sobbing again, crying for the horse she had loved and couldn’t save, but also for the girl she had been.

Minutes passed before she felt like she was all cried out. Her eyes were red and raw, and her heart was torn open. Exhausted and trembling, she put the ribbons, the letters, and the article back in the box. She clutched the braided tail to her chest and lay back down, turning off the light.

Caroline fell into a brief and restless sleep. The desperate whinnies of Beau and Edison in her dreams woke her up. Her pillow was damp with a mix of sweat and tears, and her heart was pounding. She rolled over on to her back and stared up at the ceiling. She watched the fan whirling above her head and thought about the part of her secret that no one knew, not even Connor.

That she blamed herself for Beau’s death.

If she’d ridden him to that jump differently, or hadn’t been trapped under him after he fell, she could have saved him. If she’d put up a stronger fight as the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance, she could have begged the vet to try something, anything, besides putting him down. Or if there was truly nothing that could have been done for him, she could have at least been there to say goodbye. To ask him for forgiveness. And now another horse would lose his life because she was trapped…”

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Caroline’s Purpose: Letter Excerpt

“I wanted to answer my own question. I asked you who you were, and you told me you didn’t know. You are a great person. You are a person who has dealt with a lot of pain and loss. You are a girl with a gift. And most importantly, you are a girl God cares about. I’ve read a few verses this week that I wanted to share with you. I’m sure you’ve read them, back before you didn’t believe.
Matthew 11: 28–30: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Romans 8: 28, 38–39: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose… For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I know in the middle of loss, it is hard to believe that He cares. If He cared, He would have kept the bad stuff from happening, right? Believe me, I’ve struggled with these thoughts myself over Emily. But I’ve come to understand it doesn’t work that way, even if we wish it did.
God is the master planner and creator. He sees an image and a story that we can’t even dream of. He can use our pain and our loss, and our doubts, to fulfill His plan. We just have to trust Him. I know this is all easier said than done.”

This excerpt is part of a letter Connor wrote to Caroline. Do you want to read all of it? Or do you want to know everything that led up to this moment? Order Caroline’s Purpose now! If you’ve read it, comment below and leave a review on Amazon.

Caroline’s Purpose: Rain Excerpt

“Leaving the stall, Connor and Caroline pushed the hay bale to the side so they could shut the door. They walked to the house, their arms brushing as they went, and climbed up the steps to the porch. Connor stopped and turned back, looking out toward the barns. The paths were lit with lanterns, causing the stones to glisten from the rain.
“What’s wrong?” Caroline followed his gaze, trying to see or hear whatever had stopped him.
“Nothing is wrong. I do this every night. Look out over everything and remember how blessed I am to live this life. This, right here, is my favorite view.”
Caroline looked out again, this time not looking for something wrong, but appreciating it for what it was. “It is beautiful.”
“Caroline, is it okay if I pray?”
She studied him and saw the sadness still clinging to his eyes. If praying was what he needed to do, she wouldn’t get in his way. “Sure.”
Connor took her hand before he closed his eyes and began. “Lord, thank you for this day and for keeping us safe. Thank you that Caroline was here to calm Edison down, and thank you for her friendship. I haven’t been able to talk about Emily in a long time, and I needed to. Please help us remember You have a purpose for us, even through all of the pain and loss that we can’t understand. In Your name I pray, Amen.”
Connor opened his eyes and looked at her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. For what it’s worth, I’m glad I was here tonight.”
Connor smiled as he let her in the front door of the house. All of the lights were off, except for one in the kitchen, and one over the stairs. “My mom left you some clothes on the bed in the guest room,” Connor told her as they headed up. “If you need anything else, I’m right across the hall.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Goodnight, Caroline.”
“Goodnight, Connor.”
Inside the guest room, Caroline fingered the clothes on the bed, then padded across the carpet to the window. The room was right above the porch, so she had the same view Connor had just told her was his favorite.
She stood there, staring out of the damp glass, replaying everything he had told her. He was right, he did understand why she didn’t believe anymore. He understood more about her than she had ever thought someone could. Maybe one day she would be able to tell him the truth, tell him her own story.
And maybe one day, he’d be able to help her believe again.”

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