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

Hugh picked up his bowl of stew, going to sit on his sleeping bag. Looking up at Ansel, he said, “You bought all of this, and you don’t even know if I’m going to let you do the photo shoot of me.”


“Hope springs eternal,” Ansel replied with a smile, settling on his rolled up sleeping bag to eat. Is he trying to say he won’t let me? “Have you made a decision?”


Hugh nodded, tasting the stew. “Not too bad, considering what’s in it.”


Ansel lifted an eyebrow. “What is it?”


“Fish, dried rabbit which seems to have reconstituted into meat, again, and—”


“Oh, well…” Hugh ate some more stew then grinned. “Yes, you can do the shoot, as long as we set down a few rules.”


Chapter 19