Far From Home (53 page)

A small red-haired girl, hearing the bark of a wolf, lifted the heavy curtain at her bedroom window and looked out. She saw the rider and waved her hand to him as she always did, though her mother, whenever she had told her of his presence, would hush her and shake her head, even though she smiled wistfully as she followed her gaze up the mountain.

He reached the high ridge and looked back. Moonlight glinted on the rushing creek so that it sparkled like crystal. Smoke spiralled from the chimneys of the log houses, which seemed to sigh and settle their roots down into the ground. Chinks of lamplight were showing beneath doors and most of the windows, except for one cabin which was in darkness.

He nodded and, giving his rare crooked smile, lifted his hand and raised his battered leather hat in farewell before turning into the forest. He felt the remembrance of the woman’s arms tighten around his waist and her warm breath against his neck. He smiled again. He was home. He was happy.

THE END

Valerie Wood was born in Yorkshire, where she still lives. Her first novel,
The Hungry Tide
, was the first winner of the Catherine Cookson Prize for Fiction.

For more information on Val Wood and her books, see her website at
www.valeriewood.co.uk

The Hungry Tide

Annie

Children of the Tide

The Romany Girl

Emily

Going Home

Rosa’s Island

The Doorstep Girls

Far From Home

The Kitchen Maid

The Songbird

Nobody’s Child

Fallen Angels

The Long Walk Home

Rich Girl, Poor Girl

Homecoming Girls

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A CORGI BOOK: 9780552150323
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN: 9781446436448

Originally published in Great Britain by Bantam Press, a division of Transworld Publishers

Printing history

Bantam Press edition published 2003

Corgi edition published 2004

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Copyright © Valerie Wood 2003

The right of Valerie Wood to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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