Caddy's Tale Release Day!

Amazon

Your favorite retailer

​Love reaches across the beyond in an unexpected way

Caddy's Tale is my mom's 17th published book and I'm still inspired by her. She's still exploring themes of unconditional love through this enchanting story. A must read for all!

Blurb

Lily Loggins falls in love when she pulls a drowning pit bull puppy out of the ocean.

Who would have thought this one act would set Lily down a path she never expected. 

Golfer Micah Moore has two goals – to win the PGA Grand Slam and marry Lily the girl of his dreams. When he sees the exhausted puppy in Lily's arms, he's certain he's added another love to his life. He didn't anticipate the important role the dog would play in his future. 

In an ugly twist of fate, Lily and Micah's lives together are marred by tragedies until a life force beyond their understanding influences their destiny and leaves them forever altered.  

Praise for Caddy's Tale

“A tender story with a twist I didn’t see coming!” I love whatever Carol McKibben writes and how she incorporates unusual paranormal romance.” –D. A. McMillan

“A beautiful story of the power and strength of love and how it can bring about the most magnificent of miracles.” —Dina Bushrod

“I would rate this book higher if I could unfortunately five is the highest number of stars you can rate a book by. Carol McKibben never disappoints I have read a great many of her books and each and every one of them has been top notch. The world building was absolutely incredible as was the character building, and we're both extremely well-developed.

The storyline follows a young girl that rescued a pit bull puppy from drowning in the ocean and it follows the girl and her pit throughout their lives and the happy and sometimes devastating experiences we face in this world. I could really relate to these characters. The plotline was very well-developed at times heartbreaking and at other times uplifting. I can honestly say that I laughed and cried throughout this book and it touched me in ways that I have not experienced for a while. There were more twists and turns than a roller coaster ride, and there were surprises around every corner which you did not see coming and there is a shocking surprise that comes out. I can't say anymore because I don't want to spoil this book for you.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading uplifting books with animals who's loving loyalty always is a focal point of any book written by Carol McKibben. I'm going to warn you this book will keep you glued to the pages, and you will not be able to put it down. I loved this story it is incredible and it holds your attention, and you will not want for it to come to an end. On the other hand you hope there's going to be another one coming with new adventures and surprises, and that is exciting and disappointing, because you have to wait for the next one to come out.” –Lorri

Reviews

Goodreads reviews for Caddy's Tale

Reviews from Goodreads.com

Inside Story

This book draws its inspiration from the remarkable life of my mom's niece, a story filled with rich experiences and emotions that truly deserved to be told. It captures the essence of her journey—the triumphs, challenges, and the moments of joy that have shaped her into the person she is today.

I am incredibly grateful that my mom took the initiative to write this narrative. Her passion and dedication to weaving these personal tales into a cohesive story not only highlights the unique aspects of my niece's life but also immortalizes the lessons learned along the way. Every page is infused with love and respect, making it a tribute that resonates deeply with our family.

My mom's niece is overjoyed to know that her life has inspired such a beautiful piece of literature. It's a heartwarming feeling for all of us—that her experiences could touch the hearts of readers beyond our family, creating a connection with those who might find parallels in their own lives. This book serves as a reminder of the strength of family bonds and the importance of sharing our stories. It means so much to us, as it not only honors her life but also emphasizes the values of resilience, hope, and the power of narrative in bringing us all closer together.

Excerpt

©2024 Carol McKibben

Chapter One

The puppy fought the waves. Swell after swell pulled her under water. Drowning in the sea wasn’t in her plan. The dog paddled to the surface and blew water out of her tiny nose. She struggled, but the tide’s invisible hand was stronger. The undertow pulled her down. The quiet underwater muted her whimpers. Her tiny paws shifted sand but couldn’t get purchase. Lean muscle and skin were not enough to make her buoyant. The small puppy couldn’t fight the current, the waves tumbling over her, or hold her breath.

Hands grabbed her and lifted the sputtering pup, who coughed salt water from her lungs.

Lily Loggins wadded through the surging waves holding the black pit bull pup with a white blaze clutched to her chest. Pressing her close, Lily moved to the dry sand, sat, and cradled her rescue.

“What happened, girl?” She inspected the puppy and noticed it was female and beautifully marked.

Climbing closer, the puppy licked the girl’s face nonstop.

Lily giggled and rolled on the sand with the dog who started to bark and whine at the same time. Holding the puppy out at arm’s length, she asked her, “Where’s your owner? I haven’t ever noticed strays here.”

She looked along Crescent Beach, a private alcove she’d known since she had moved here with her father.

“I’d better find out if you are chipped and locate your people!”

Glancing once more at the empty Florida beach, she jumped up, removed the long-sleeved shirt tied around her waist, and wrapped up the pup in it. She trudged the mile up to the beach house nestled just behind the dunes where she had lived all through high school with her dad after her parents had divorced. The rustic home faced the ocean complete with a wrap-around porch and floor-to-ceiling windows. Lily loved the handcrafted feel of the raw natural materials from which the bright and airy house had been built with its weathered wood, timbered furniture, wide-plank floors, and natural stone. Climbing the stairs up to the deck, she spotted her father. He turned to face her with a smoke pipe in one hand and a glass of Jack Daniels over ice in the other.

He smiled. “What have you got there, honey?” His thick Southern drawl made him appear slow in thought, when, in fact, he was highly intelligent, a C-level safety specialist and executive, who had spoken before Congress on issues facing the mining industry. Tom Loggins had worked around the country throughout his successful career. Lily adored him not for his professional accomplishments but for his unconditional love for her. His support for her had always been unwavering.

Lily admired his tall stature. He was a bear of a man with red-gold hair peppered with silver and the bluest of eyes. His smile always carried some secret that he kept to himself.

“Dad, I found this pup on the beach! She looked as if she was struggling to keep from drowning. I didn’t see anyone around, so thought we could take care of her until I can get her to the vet tomorrow to see if she has a chip.”

Tom smiled, churned his pipe to the other side of his mouth, and nodded his approval.

“Thanks, Dad! Love you.” As Lily scampered inside, she yelled over her shoulder, “Going to give this puppy a bath! Who knows where she might have come from. Can’t wait to tell Micah about her.”

Tom shook his head. “That hotshot isn’t right for you.”

“Dad, we talked about this,” Lily shouted.

“He’s twenty-nine and you’re eighteen.”

“So?”

Tom grumbled at the thought of Micah Moore.

Lily came down the stairs, phone in hand, and with the puppy hot on her heels. “Micah wants to speak with you.”

Tom set down his whiskey and settled his pipe in a cradle and took the phone. “Hello?”

Lily picked up the pit bull puppy and listened in on their conversation.

Micah spoke with soft determination. “Mr. Loggins, I’d like to speak with you in person. Will you meet me at the Marsh Creek Country Club?”

“The place where we met, huh?” Tom smiled and the gleam in his eye held knowing and mischief.

The Loggins family had first been introduced to Micah at the Marsh Creek Country Club, where Tom was a member.

“Yes. Is seven o’clock all right?”

Lily jumped up. “Yes! We’ll be there.”

“Seven o’clock is fine.”

​Tom handed Lily’s phone back to her and took a sip of his whiskey. He had a few hours to savor his drink before meeting with Micah.

An hour later, Lily rushed down the stairs. “Dad, I just got off the phone with Micah. We’re going to call the puppy Caddy. Get it? Caddy. Micah’s a golfer.” She winked at him.

Tom rolled his eyes and puffed on his pipe. “You’re getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you? We need to see if she belongs to anyone.”

​“We will, but don’t you see? She was meant to come to us.”

Micah Moore was a handsome young man with sandy-blond hair and brown eyes. Of average height, the man was an athlete in every sense of the word. What Tom liked about him was his respectful attitude. He’d approached the situation in an honorable fashion.

“Mr. Loggins,” he started with his golf cap held between his two hands, “I’ve never experienced anything like this. The moment I saw your daughter, I was gobsmacked.”

Tom chuckled at the thought of that word.

Micah fidgeted in his seat. “I mean, six months ago, I would have told you that I didn’t believe in love at first sight. I know now that it does exist. I love her. I adore her. I knew she was a high school senior, so I waited. All those free golf lessons I offered the two of you were just an excuse to be around her.” He stopped to catch his breath. He searched Tom’s face for any sign of anger.

Tom leaned back in his chair in the cozy alcove in the main club lounge that Micah had selected for their meeting and kept silent. He glanced at Lily who huddled on the leather couch next to the man she proclaimed to love. She’s so young. How can she know for sure?

She nervously twirled her index finger around one of her curly blonde strands of hair and sat staring adoringly at her beloved one moment and then fastening her brilliant blue eyes at her father the next.

Micah went on. “Now that she’s eighteen and out of high school, I want to ask you for your blessing. I want to marry your daughter.”

Tom leaned forward. “Not so fast, Micah. You know her mother is staunchly against this relationship. I think you need to give it some time. Date… er… you haven’t been… with my daughter, have you?”

“Dad!” Lily squirmed uncomfortably at his insinuation.

“Sex?” Micah reared back in his seat. “No, no. I wouldn’t do that. I want to marry her, not fool around with her!”

“Good.” Tom smiled. “Then let’s give it the test of time. In a year if the two of you feel the same way, then I will consider giving you my blessing. But know this, Micah, if you don’t follow through with this and stay respectful, you’ll have hell to pay from me!”

​Tom smiled at the look of resolve he saw in the other man’s eyes. Now, they’d have to convince Lily’s mother, Joan.

Dr. Brown scanned the squirmy puppy’s body. “Nope. She isn’t chipped. Have you advertised her as a dog that’s been found or called the pound?”

“Yes.” Lily nodded and then looked at Micah who picked up the puppy.

The wiggly puppy began to frantically wash the man’s face, and he laughed at her antics.

“No one has been looking for her at the pound, and it’s only been since this morning that we’ve been putting the word out all over social media. Nothing so far.” Lily took the pup from Micah and pressed her close to her chest. “We’re calling her Caddy for now.”

Caddy inhaled and let out a deep sigh as she cuddled against the girl.

“Well, she’s a healthy little thing. If no one claims her, it looks like the two of you have a dog to share. No charge for this. Always happy to help a lost pet.” Dr. Brown gave Caddy a head rub and then strolled out of the exam room.

Lily and Micah murmured their thanks and followed him out.

​“Let’s go back to my house and see if anyone has claimed her on social. I’ve posted photos and a description.”
Micah nodded and smiled in agreement.

As they pulled up to the house, Lily noted her mother’s RAV4 parked in the driveway. “Oh, great! Mom’s here.” She turned reluctantly to Micah, but before she could say it, he said, “I know. I’ll go. We don’t want another scene like we experienced the last time we were together.”

“I’m so sorry, Micah. I—”

“Don’t worry, love. She’ll come around eventually.”

Caddy yapped in agreement as Lily leaned over and gave him a kiss on the check. “See you later.”

As Micah backed out of the driveway, Lily trudged up the stairs only to meet the disapproving face of her mother, Joan.

“Lily, why would you go against my wishes and date that man? You’re too young to think that can go anywhere. He’s too old for you!” She uncrossed her arms, started to turn, and then spied Caddy. “Wait, what do you have here?”

Lily put down the pup who immediately ran to Joan’s feet encased in sandals and began to lick them, then took a quick bite.

“Ouch!” Joan laughed and picked up the pitty. “Oh my God! You are adorable. Where did you come from?”

“From the ocean!” Lily exclaimed. “I retrieved her. Thought she was drowning! We… I’m trying to find her owner.”

Caddy began to give Joan’s unblemished face kisses, and Lily’s mother exclaimed, “I love this cutie.”

“On that, Mom, we agree. But why are you here?” Lily followed Joan’s slender figure through the slider into the living room with its high ceilings. She admired her mother’s light-brown hair styled in a shoulder-length blunt cut.

“I came to see your father, but he’s not here.” Joan’s green eyes flashed at her daughter as she put Caddy in the playpen that Lily had set up for her. “He’s usually home on Saturdays.”

“He’s working on a project at his office. So what’s going on? You don’t usually show up unannounced.”

“Oh, honey.” Joan sighed. “I wanted to talk to both of you. I’ll come back another time.”

“Don’t do that, Mom. You can’t just come in here, say you need to talk, and then leave. What gives?”

Joan sat down on the sofa and patted the cushion next to her. She smoothed her floral-print dress over her knees and took Lily’s hands in hers. “I’m getting married… to Bob.”

Lily jumped up. “You mean that jerk school superintendent that you fell in love with when you were married to Dad? Talk about a hypocrite! You disapprove of Micah but see no problem leaving Dad for someone else? Then, you want to go and marry the ass—”

“Lily! That’s enough. I knew you were going to be negative about this.”

“Negative? You broke my dad’s heart, and now you want me to be happy for you? Forget it. You know what Meme would say if she were still alive.”

“Don’t bring up Tom’s mother. She always influenced you to hate me because I wanted someone else!”

Caddy suddenly whined and barked as she frantically circled looking for a spot.

Lily took long strides over to the pen, picked up the dog, and rushed outside with her. Bounding down the steps, the moment she put the pup down, Caddy circled and let out a huge poop for such a small creature.

“And that’s what you think about my mom’s comments about Meme,” Lily snickered.

Caddy let out a single sharp bark in agreement.

Joan stepped down the stairs. “I can see this is going nowhere. Tell your father that I am remarrying. I don’t need another scene like this with him.”

​Lily whirled around. “A scene? Dad? No. You broke his heart. You don’t need to beat him up with this news. I’ll let him know.” With that, Lily scooped up Caddy and marched up the stairs. At this point, she no longer cared if her mother approved of Micah or not. Let her mother live her life with Bob. She’d live hers with Micah.

Amazon

All Retailers

Until next time...
...happy reading!

​~ Stephy