A Promise to Protect (Logan Point Book #2): A Novel by Patricia Bradley

Each person spoke first to TJ, then Sarah, and finally Leigh. Then Ben was at her side again, his cologne making her think of a meadow far away from this funeral home. “I had no idea Tony had so many friends,” she murmured to him as the next person moved toward her.
    “A lot of these people are here for you too.”
    That hadn’t occurred to her, and the thought warmed her heart. “Oh, and thanks for driving by and checking on me.”
    “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?” Ben asked.
    “No. Everything is calm. Oh, wait. Are you still looking for that flash drive?”
    “Why? Did you find it?”
    “No. It’s just that during the service I remembered these hidden compartments in the corner of the attic. That would’ve been a logical place for Tony to hide something. I’ll look tonight after it gets cooler. Right now it’s 120 degrees in that attic, and there’s no telling what’s piled on top.”
    “You want me to come by and help you?”
    “I’ll wait until Sarah leaves, and I don’t know when that will be.” From the corner of her eye, she saw TJ squirm as an older lady hugged him. Her stomach flipped when she recognized Marisa Logan.
    Leigh touched her son’s arm. “TJ, would you like to go outside for a while?”
    “Yes, ma’am!” Two black-haired boys, evidently twins, had joined him, and together they scooted out of the room.
    “You have a mighty handsome young man there.” Marisa’s soft drawl chilled Leigh to the bone.
    “Thank you.” She licked her lips. “Have you met Sarah Alexander? She’s TJ’s adopted grandmother. Came up from Jackson to be with us.”
    Soft pressure from Sarah’s hand stopped her babbling.
    “And you have to be Sheriff Logan’s mother,” Sarah said. “The resemblance is very strong—the black hair, the dark eyes, he even has your beautiful olive complexion.”
    Anxiety ebbed away. TJ had none of those characteristics.
    “Well, thank you, Sarah. Have you known Leigh and her son for very long?”
    Sarah edged Marisa away from Leigh. “Since before he was born. Would you like to sit over by the window? I’d like to ask you a few questions about Logan Point.”
    Bless her heart and her little gray head. Leigh felt Ben’s gaze on her and turned back to him.
    “How did you meet Sarah? If you’ve told me, I’ve forgotten. Did you hire her as a nanny for TJ?”
    “There was no money for a nanny. She was a friend of my husband’s, and after Matthew died, I had to find a cheap place to live. Sarah needed surgery and someone to stay with her until she recovered. She had an older house with an apartment upstairs, so I offered, and it worked out very well. Sarah became a part of our lives. She really loves TJ.” Leigh caught her breath. Ben hadn’t asked for their whole history.
    “Too bad she doesn’t live here.”
    “I know. But he seems to like staying with Jenny while I’m at work. Of course, now that Tony’s . . .” She simply couldn’t say dead . “Anyway, he’ll be staying there more.”
    “I’m sure my mom would be glad to keep him sometimes. He’d be good company for Josh and Jacob.”
    Now Leigh remembered where she’d seen the boys TJ left with.They were the twin sons of Emily, her boss at the free clinic. And Ben’s sister.
    Everywhere she turned, TJ was wrapped up with one of the Logan family members. Coming back to Logan Point was such a mistake. A mistake she couldn’t undo. She’d tried earlier this week, but the director had turned down her request to move, saying there were no openings anywhere in the state of Mississippi where she could transfer her service hours. She would be stuck in Logan Point for the remainder of her service contract unless someone opted out of the program.

    TJ turned off the television. “Mom, can I go out and catch lightn’ bugs?”
    Thunder rumbled overhead, rattling the windows of the little house. “You know it’s raining. There won’t be any lightning bugs.”
    “Then can I