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

Ansel banked the fire and turned out the light once Hugh was settled with Orion by his side. Then he crawled into his bag. While he waited for sleep to come, he wondered how long it would take before they were sleeping together. He seriously doubted it would be tomorrow night. But soon, I think. He made it past the biggest hurdle, tonight. The rest should be easier…I hope.


With the days getting decidedly colder, Hugh and Ansel poured all their energy for the following week into stocking more wood, hunting for game, and foraging for edible vegetation. The woven baskets they’d found were excellent for collecting various plants and the mushrooms from between the roots of several pine trees—then for storing them after they’d dried in the sun.


Chapter 31