Silent Knight: Deep Six Security Book 7, Becky McGraw

I love a strong woman who doesn't need a man or to be rescued by one.  Lou Ellen is that woman.  She cares for the men of Deep Six Security as if they were her own and provides love, support, and camaraderie for all their women and families.  She's the heart and soul of the office.  She also has a spine made of steel.  To be worthy of being her partner, the guy has a lot that he needs to bring to the table.

Lou Ellen is a kind and giving woman and we see her here giving of her time and good nature first at a church and then to the veterans in the community.  Her annual ritual brings her face to scruff with a man that is much more than he appears to be.  Griff is lost.  Not in the physical sense, but in the direction of his life beyond protecting someone who needs him.  He finds purpose but has no faith in himself beyond doing his best for the teenage girl who needs a protector.  And then he watches the elegant Lou Ellen being assaulted and steps in.  By giving in to the urge to protect he puts himself on the path to being found.

They both have pasts that led them to this point and while Griff is doing everything in his power to run away, Lou Ellen is doing everything in her power to give him a safe place to stay.

We get to watch their struggle for desire and dominance throughout this story and find healing, companionship, fierce protectiveness, passion, and making a home.  I liked that Lou Ellen didn't make it easy for Griff, that she made him work for her forgiveness.  That she was willing to be a mother to the teens without the man that introduced them even though her heart yearned for him.  Her dedication and devotion to opening and sharing her heart was truly touching.  Griff's groveling was pretty good and I liked that he met the challenges and rose to her high expectations.  They became the partnership both of them deserved.

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