Marcus Kulick and Melissa Morgan are prepared to defy their families to be together. But will their families ever let them go? Sixteen-year-old Marcus Kulick has two great dreams: to capture and kill Old Gore, the most prized mountain goat in Hungry Bear Valley, and to marry Melissa Morgan, the daughter of his father’s sworn enemy. But when a chance encounter with Melissa’s brother, Will, turns violent, and Will falls off the mountainside to his death, Marcus and Melissa are separated, perhaps forever. The next fall, Marcus takes a job at the state research station on the Jaw Mountain, hoping to track down Old Gore in his spare time—and to see Melissa, who is secretly working nearby. Reunited, Melissa and Marcus visit her Aunt Jerome, a justice of the peace who agrees to marry the young couple. But family feuds die hard, and Marcus and Melissa must make a difficult choice between love and family loyalty. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Jean Craighead George, including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.