<B><i>Protect the Innocent</B></i>, book 2 in The Keeper Series by Nancy Powell<br><br>

The police reported that Jaeger was killed by his drug gang; still Anna cannot shake the feeling that her abusive ex-husband is watching from the shadows—waiting to kill her. Neighbor boys, Hank and Bill, ask Bart for help butchering bears that Hank shot because they were after his brother. Before Hank finds relief from his troubles, he must cope with a rattlesnake, hospital staff, Child Services, the Game and Fish Commission, and the Prosecuting Attorney. A Cherokee lawyer speaks for the Indian boys, and the Dugans take the two into their home as foster children. A little girl in Carol's class, apparently abandoned, also comes to live with the Dugans as a foster child. Her mother and father were murdered setting off a full-scale investigation that reveals Maddi's true identity. Her biological father was wealthy, now she is first in line to inherit a fortune.<br><br>