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

Now that’s quite a sight. Too bad I’m not about to take advantage of it. He’d toss me out on my ear in a heartbeat. This is a working relationship, nothing more. With that thought, Ansel crawled into the sleeping bag, reminding Hugh to turn out the light. Within minutes, he was fast asleep.


“I feel like a golem,” Ansel groused late Sunday morning.


Hugh glanced at him and burst out laughing, even though he figured he looked just as bad. They had dumped what felt like a ton of water on the mud a few feet away from the cabin, then Ansel had photographed Hugh mixing the grass into it, using his hands and the spade to make the daub, as Ansel had told him it was called. Then he’d put down the camera to help. Now, they were stuffing the daub into theopen spaces between the boards of the cabin’s wall, letting it dry, then adding more until they were certain there were no spots left to let in the wind and weather.


Chapter 20