Stranded at Romson's Lodge (Morgan James Fiction) - Softcover

Callison, J.L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1630477362 ISBN 13: 9781630477363

Publisher: Morgan James Fiction, 2016

Synopsis

Kidnapped and flown to a remote lodge in upstate Maine, high school seniors, Jed Romson and Elizabeth Sitton are stranded when their kidnapper crashes on takeoff. With thirty-five miles between them and the nearest hunting lodge, Jed knows it is up to him to care for a homesick city girl until someone finds them. Is he up to the task? “Call me if you need anything.” Jed shook his head. This was going to be interesting. Not only did he have to babysit a tenderfoot, he had to listen to her, too.

Elizabeth, a city girl, has never been away from home, especially out in the wilderness with no amenities. Can she learn to cook on a wood stove or over an open fire? And what about wild animals? Wolves? Bears? Coyotes? Lizzie dropped into a deerskin-bound chair and buried her face in her hands. “I don’t think I can do this, Jed. I’m not cut out to be a Swiss Family Robinson character. I’m not an outdoorsy type of girl. This is all well and good for you, but you grew up with this stuff. I don’t have any idea what I’m doing.”

Left with no clues, what will Detective Sarah Summers do to find the missing teens?

About this title

About the Author

J.L. Callison, a graduate of Bob Jones University, has had a diverse, wide-ranging career in sales, management, recycling, and transportation. Youth work is one of his greatest passions, and he regularly speaks to teens. An avid reader, he particularly enjoys military history and American history.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The old she-bear was cranky. A long thorn was stuck in her foot between two pads and was infected. Because of its location between the pads, she was not able to get it out either with her teeth or by licking it.

Her nearly-grown cub was frisky in the chilly morning air and had tried to play with her when he awoke. She swatted him hard enough to send him rolling, when she would normally have just brushed him aside or perhaps woofed at him in warning.

The blueberries were now gone, but the old bear knew the beechnuts were dropping. She limped through the underbrush toward the largest copse of beech trees in her territory. Her cub, chastened, followed behind but wandered off a little ways, following the fragrance of honey. The bee tree Jed and Lizzie robbed was empty, as Jed had thought it would be, but the cub climbed the trunk to the opening. He snuffed loudly and reached his long tongue into the hole to lick at the remnants stuck to the sides of the hollow tree. Finally, frustrated at his inability to reach any more honey, he backed down the tree trunk and wandered along the path until he found his mother’s scent.

Jed and Lizzie were on their way back to the cabin, their baskets full. The “magic sheets” had been stashed in the crotch of a tree where they wouldn’t blow away. Jed didn’t want to carry them with the full baskets of nuts and then bring them back. Because they had taken the time to pick the low-hanging beechnuts, they had worked their way to the far side of the grove. Lizzie walked on while he stashed the sheets and was about a hundred yards ahead. The bear sow had crossed her path a few minutes before and was downwind of Lizzie. The bear stood on her hind legs, sniffing the breeze, troubled by human presence. Normally, she would not have been concerned, but she was cranky, and the smell irritated her. Bears have good eyesight, but since bushes were in the way, Lizzie couldn’t be seen. She settled back down onto her sore foot and resumed rummaging in the leaves for nuts.

The cub, however, was upwind and didn’t smell Lizzie ahead of him. It is hard to say who was more startled when the cub rounded a clump of brush and nearly ran into Lizzie. She screamed and dropped her basket as the cub gave a startled woof and ran away.

The old she-bear, already on edge, heard her cub’s cry and charged. Since a black bear can run as fast as thirty-five miles an hour for a short distance, Lizzie had no chance of outrunning her. They also climb trees, so she knew climbing was not an option. She dropped to the ground and lay there motionless and tried hard not to cry or show any signs of life but prayed desperately under her breath.

Edition details

• Publisher: Morgan James Fiction
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1630477362
• ISBN 13: 9781630477363
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 284