A Patchwork Family by Cathy Bramley

A Patchwork Family by Cathy Bramley

Author:Cathy Bramley [Bramley, Cathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409186748
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Published: 2020-03-19T07:00:00+00:00


Chapter Twenty-two

My feet churned up clouds of copper leaves as I headed out of the village, practically leaping over the stile onto the footpath. I ducked my head through the low-hanging branches of the hawthorn copse, and kept up my pace, hoping that his twenty-minute head start wouldn’t prove too much for me to catch up with. Maybe he hadn’t gone far at all, maybe he was meditating, like the first time I’d met him. My heart thundered against my chest as I cleared the trees; I ran into the open and incredibly there he was. Right in front of me.

‘Dexter!’ I skidded to a halt, only just avoiding a collision and staggered backwards, gasping for breath.

‘Whoah!’ He grabbed my arms to steady me. ‘Gina?’

‘Thank goodness!’ Relief washed over me like a tidal wave. Before my brain caught up with my body, I launched myself at him.

‘Oof!’ said Dexter as I crushed him to me in a tight hug. He pulled his headphones out from his ears and pocketed his phone. ‘Are you all right?’

‘More than all right!’ I leaned back so I could see him, still catching my breath. ‘I found you! I didn’t think I would. I thought I’d missed you, I thought I was too late. And I haven’t and I’m so glad.’

A wave of emotion brought tears so close to the surface that my voice had gone wobbly.

‘You were looking for me?’ He raised his eyebrows.

I nodded, relinquishing him from my grasp. ‘I read the note you left in the kitchen and Paige said she saw you head this way and I wanted to say goodbye properly.’

‘Ah, I see.’ A muscle in his cheek twitched. ‘I thought it was better to just leave and get out of everyone’s way. I’ve got a taxi picking me up from the village green in fifteen minutes, I was on my way back there now to wait for it.’

I thanked my lucky stars; I could have so easily missed this chance to talk. If I hadn’t gone for a run, if I hadn’t bumped into Paige. And now he was here in touching distance. I’d get my opportunity to explain and I was determined to make the most of it.

‘Before you go, can we talk?’ I held my breath waiting for a reply.

He shrugged. ‘Sure. But I really don’t have long, I’m afraid.’

I gave him a swift smile. ‘I’ll make it quick.’

We began to walk, side by side, the sleeve of my sweatshirt brushing against his jacket. On his back was a large rucksack. I smiled to myself, remembering that first glimpse I’d had of him; I’d thought he was homeless. And possibly unconscious.

We passed a couple of narrowboats and exchanged greetings with a lady who was sitting on the steps clasping a mug. Faded bunting fluttered in the breeze; on the deck there were pots of herbs, a woodpile and a short washing line hung with two pairs of knickers and four socks.

‘Do you sometimes wish your life was as simple as that?’ I said once we were out of earshot.



Download



Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.