When Hugh Mathews decides it's time to get out from under his tyrannical father's thumb and away from the life he's been living, he does it in a big way. Packing what he'll need to survive in the wilderness, and with only his dog, Orion, for companionship, he heads into the mountains. When they find a abandoned cabin, Hugh begins the arduous task of repairing it, as well as hunting for food and everything else they'll need to stay alive.<br><br>Soon after, Ansel Jeffries, a nature photographer, arrives at Hugh's cabin, seeking an abandoned mine he wants to photograph. After talking with him, Ansel sees the potential for a story in what Hugh is doing -- and why.<br><br>Ansel convinces Hugh to let him tell it, meaning he'll be living at the cabin with Hugh. When he moves in, will what becomes friendship between the two men grow into more?

Off the Beaten Path

Being an avid reader of thrillers, he waited until nobody was around and then switched his plates for ones on a car at the other side of the lot. If I were on the run from the cops, this would slow them down. Not that I am, but if and when Dad decides he hasn’t heard from me for more time then he likes and decides to find out why, I’ll be halfway to Timbuktu…or somewhere. Or so he’ll think if he hires someone to trace my plates.


After putting on his backpack and attaching his bow case to it with a heavy-duty carabiner, Hugh clipped Orion’s leash to his collar. The dog looked at in dismay. “Hang on,” Hugh told him. “It’ll come off as soon as we’re well away from here. We don’t want some nosy parker stopping us because you’re not on a leash.” A possibility he knew, because pets were supposed to be under the control of their owners at all times in the vicinity of the campground.


Chapter 3