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

“I know. I was teasing.” Ansel finished the last of his quail and greens, then got up to set his plate on the table. “When you’re finished, I’ll wash the dishes while you cut up the rabbit. I suspect it’s more than stewed by now.”


Hugh went to check. “I think meat falling off the bones means it is.” He took the pot off the hook, setting it on the table, as Ansel collected the dishes and left the cabin.


“No, Orion,” Hugh said when the dog eyed him and then the pot. “The bones are too small to be safe.” He got down a bowl and began fishing them out. He’d managed to retrieve most of them by the time Ansel returned.


“Once it’s cooled, you should skim off the fat,” Ansel suggested.


“I plan on it. I’ve got some saved already, if it hasn’t gone rancid. If it has, well we’ll start over.”


“And have fried fish for lunch tomorrow. Do you have a fishing rod?”


“No. I use the bow.” Hugh got the case to show him the arrows.


Chapter 22