Potter Springs

by Britta Coleman

  In a different country, a strange city, but together, they were home.

  She couldn’t stand to leave his lips. Yet, she had to see him. She pulled away.

  Red rimmed his eyes as his gaze touched her. Knowing her. Staring, as if memorizing her features, her form.

  “How did you… the storm… ?” Wonder brought her fingers to his face. Real.

  “For you.” Hoarseness thickened his voice. “I’m here for you.” He traced the shell of her ear, her brows, her cheekbones. “Is that okay?”

  “Okay… is it okay?” She swallowed, took in clarifying air. “What took you so long?”

  He smiled, then winced, bringing a hand to his beaten forehead.

  “What happened?”

  “Later. I’ll explain everything later.” He shifted and pulled a small bag to his lap. “This is more important.” Clearing his throat, he smoothed the wrinkled canvas. “I’ve brought something for you.” He stared at it, as if pondering whether or not to hand it over.

  She scooted closer, touching her knees to his. Wondering what he had brought with him, this far. She opened the handles, and she saw the baby book inside. Her baby’s book. The Story of Baby.

  The one that never got told.

  Her fingers trembled as she ran her hand along the familiar spine. The edges of the sonogram photos, slick white paper, slipped out the top. She pulled the strip out, frame by frame, careful of the dirt on her hands.

  Her eyes blurred as she stared at the familiar shape. Little one. Captured for a moment, then gone.

  Why? Why all this way? Why now?

  His fingers enclosed hers. “I want to fill in the empty spaces.” He looked scared, unsure of her reaction. But he didn’t let go. “With you. Where we can. I want to talk about the baby.”

  “Her name,” Amanda whispered. “I call her Grace.” Would he think she was crazy? Naming a baby she’d never seen, never met?

  “Grace,” he echoed. “Beautiful.” He cupped her cheek, catching her tears on his thumb. “She would have been beautiful, you know. Like her mother.”

  “And tender,” she replied. “Like her father.”

  He held her to him, and she pressed her face into the hollow of his neck. A favorite spot. She thought she could stay there the rest of her life.

  A bird called high and clear. Rose petals danced as the wind shifted, the wet earth smelled like spring. New beginnings, delivered on the wind.

  He turned his face, scratching her with his scruff.

  She embraced the roughness. Real.

  Bringing firm lips to hers, he gathered her closer as tears dried on her cheeks. Souls and hearts connected through the hunger of their mouths. Gentle, yet insistent.

  A verse, wood and ancient, older than the broken building behind them, took a breath and moved in her heart. Echoes from their wedding gathered tendrils of her soul, weaving strength and truth within her.

  And a man shall leave his father and his mother…

  This man is mine.

  And take a wife…

  I am his.

  He tilted her head farther, kissing deeper, the sun shining and her eyes closed, red-hot through the lids, the moment blossomed in her soul.

  The past, fault and faltering, slipped away. Sharp lines of regret blurred to memory. Forgiven.

  The two shall become one.

  epilogue

  Moonlight filtered through the filmy sheers as Mark played with her red curls, lost in the blue eyes twinkling up at him.

  I am looped in the loops of her hair.

  “I have to go now,” he whispered.

  Her brow furrowed and tears clouded the brightness.

  Oh no. The tears undid him every time. “Shhh.” He ran a fingertip over the shell of her ear. “Don’t cry. It’ll only be a while, up at the church. I promise I’ll be back soon.”

  He pulled the blanket up and kissed her soft cheek.

  The door cracked open and light streamed in. “Is she still awake?”

  acknowledgments

  I give my deepest thanks to my friends and family who labored alongside me in the creation of this book. I could not have done it without you.

  I am grateful to the ministers in my life, past and present, for their leadership, honesty and humanity. My thanks to Clarice Cassada for teaching me about grace, Jennifer Auvermann who first encouraged me to put words on a page and dream big, and Leann Gabel who said, Why don’t you just shut up and write it?

  My Thursday Night Divas-Jodi Thomas, Marcy McKay, Dee Burks, April Redmon, Jenny Archer, Rob Brammer, and DeWanna Pace-taught me the craft and gave me my start. Many generous authors, including Marsha Moyer, Lisa Wingate, Kimberly Willis Holt, David Marion Wilkinson, Kim Campbell, Sharon Baldacci and Laurie Moore, took time from their busy schedules to read my work and guide me along the path. Thank you all.

  Thanks to my friends at the Amarillo Police Department, the saints at AUMC, my Wednesday morning “peeps,” David Black-stock and his magic foil, photographer extraordinaire Kern Coleman and the following fantastic writers’ organizations: Texas Writers’ League, Panhandle Professional Writers, North Texas Romance Writers, and the DFW Writers’ Workshop.

  Many thanks also to the talented Candy Havens for reading countless drafts, and for emoting with me each step of the way.

  I owe much gratitude to my agent, the incomparable Marcy Posner, for championing this book and finding us the right home. Every writer should be so blessed to have an editor like Steve Wilburn. Thanks also to the amazing team at Warner.

  And for my family, words fail. I owe you so much more than thanks. Mom, the world’s greatest cheerleader and patron of the arts. Dad, who said he always knew I could do it. My precious sisters (all four of you), and the rest of our family who asked-how’s the book coming?-with genuine care and enthusiasm.

  To the rest of the Coleman Four, you are my very heart. My sweetest Kern, thank you for believing when I didn’t, and for making me laugh in spite of myself. You’ll always be the best part of me. I love you.

  For Dan and Megan, the most wonderful children on earth. Your patience and excitement, and your tender prayers, carried me along on this journey. See, Mommy really did write a book!

  reading group guide

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  When Mark is stopped for speeding in South Texas, he is broken, bruised, and poorly dressed. Officer Martinez comments that Mark doesn’t look like any preacher he’s ever seen. What role do appearances play in the novel? How do themes of reality and authenticity, versus a perfect exterior, develop through the story?

  Mark and Amanda come from different familial backgrounds. How do their upbringings shape them as adults? How do their family lives affect their marriage?

  Churches and sanctuaries are the setting for several scenes in the book: Mark’s job in Houston, the site for the wedding, Mark’s childhood church, Lakeview Community in Potter Springs, and the garden church in Mexico. Compare the different churches, and what they might reveal about the story and the changes in the characters.

  Mark’s actions as a minister don’t necessarily reflect the general impression of how a religious leader should behave. Do you think he makes a good minister, or a poor one? When Mark is fired from the Houston church, do you think it was a mistake or a good decision? How important is impeccable leadership?

  Reflect on the scene where Mark and Dale serve communion to Ruby Weatherby in the nursing home. What do you think the author is trying to say?

  In the scene where Ervin and his buddies help fix Amanda’s car, Mark compares more formal religious ceremony to the simple actions of faithful friends. Which of the two is more powerful to Mark? To Amanda? What is the difference, if any, between religion and faith?

  What is the significance of the Brown Penny poem? How does it tie into both Mark’s calling and his feelings for Amanda?

  The novel explores themes of judgment and condemnation versus grace. When Mark confesses his secrets to Ervin, what does he
expect? What does he receive? Amanda believes her lost baby’s name would be Grace. How is this significant to the story?

  Many journeys take place in the course of the novel: Mark and Amanda move to Potter Springs; she goes on the retreat to Colorado; she returns to Houston; and she eventually travels to Mexico, where Mark follows. How are the various trips important to the book and to the characters’ development?

  In the scene where Mark and Courtney are in her apartment after the carnival, what do you think happened? Whose “fault” was it? Was a real seduction taking place, or was it “a lust fog” like Mark described?

  Amanda, essentially, runs away from home and her problems in Potter Springs. Have you ever wanted to run away from your life? Where would you go? Do you think her decision was selfish, or a necessary part of her growth as a person?

  When Mark sees the humanity in Dale near the end of the novel, do you think he forgives him for all past wrongs? Does giving Dale some responsibility open Mark to future betrayal, or is it a smart move?

  The rose garden in Mexico becomes a significant place for Amanda. What do the roses signify, and why do you think the author chose the exterior of a church for this scene?

  When Mark finds Amanda after the storm, the church is literally broken, as are both of the main characters in a more figurative way. Why do you think the author included a storm at the climax of the story? What might this say about Mark and Amanda’s journey as people?

  Mark and Amanda are dressed for the Fall Festival at the end of the novel. What do their costumes say about them as people and how they’ve changed in the story?

  “Britta Coleman’s fresh sparkling new voice waltzes pages of her Texas story.”

  —Jodi Thomas. New York Times bestselling author of Widows of Wichita Country

  With a fresh, authentic voice straight out of Texas, Britta Coleman has crafted a compelling, award-winning debut that can readers with humor and heart.

  potter springs

  When fiery Amanda Thompson becomes engaged to the love of her life, Mark Reynolds, a talented man on a clear career path, s hopes for happily ever after. Except an error in judgment costs Mark his job at a big Houston church and their future is suddenly, irrevocably changed.

  A new opportunity in a small West Texas town moves the couple a full day's drive away from all that is familiar. Out of love for each other, and in spite of secret hurts and dashed expectations, Mark and Amanda settle in Potter Springs.

  With the help of the town’s colorful citizens—football coach turned pastor Ervin Plumley, Benny the heavy metal janitor, and curvaceous Ladies' Guild president Courtney Williams—the displaced newlyweds undergo an emotional journey full of heartbreaking clashes and humorous mishaps that lead them to a heightened understanding of “ever after.”

  Kern Coleman

  BRITTA COLEMAN is an award-winning author, journalist, and inspirational speaker. Her “Practically Parenting” column is published as a regular newspaper feature, and she enjoys traveling and speaking to groups about the craft of writing. Britta was recently honored with the Lone Star Scribe Award for her debut novel, POTTER SPRINGS, She lives in Fort Worth with her husband, two children, and fussy Chihuahua. To learn more about the author, you can visit www.BrittaColeman.com.