Phyllis Brock put the last of the dinner plates on the table as Garrett spooned the chili out of the large pot on the stove.

“Are those men going to camp on the road tonight?” she asked.

“Some of them,” Garrett said. “The rest will be back in the morning.”

“What are they trying to prove?”

Garrett sighed. “I think they feel they’ll have a better chance if they make an early claim and stay put. People will get used to them being here and when it comes time to make an assessment on the land, people won’t care one way or another what happens.”

“Surely they won’t get away with this.”

“You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” Garrett said, spooning out the last of the chili and handing the bowl to his wife. “But the ministry lawyers I talked to today aren’t so sure. They think the company might have put together a good case for harvesting close to town.”

“A good case!”

“They say it will all come down to public reaction, and the company has a way of swaying public opinion with talk of jobs and prosperity.”

At that moment, Noble stepped into the dining room, followed closely by his brothers and sister. “What’s going on?”

“Why don’t you sit down first?” said Garrett.

“Something serious?” Argus asked.

“Sit down,” the ranger repeated. “We can talk while we eat.”

The four took their seats around the table. Phyllis and Garrett joined them.

“Well, what is it?”

The ranger took a deep breath and began. “A logging crew from Conservco rolled into the forest near Puntzi Lake this morning.”

At the mention of Puntzi Lake, Argus stopped eating and directed all of his attention to what the ranger was saying.

“They want to harvest the forest on the south side of the river, which will give them full access to the road.”

Harlan shook his head. “I didn’t know the road was part of the survey. Sounds like they’re trying to grab more land and save money by taking the road.”

The ranger put his spoon in his bowl of chili and left it there. “That’s what it looks like.”

“They can’t do that!” Tora said, looking around the table. “Can they?”