The rain was heavy on the roof when Cody woke. Overcast daylight fought to illuminate the room. He rolled on his back, Fin was curled on the wall side of the bed, the covers were twisted between her legs and the shirt she wore had ridden up so part of her backside was visible.

Cody groaned and ran his hands over his face. He looked again. The arch from her waist dipped and rose to form the sloping mound of her hips and behind. The centre where her legs met and one thigh rested on the other was hidden by shadow and some of the sheet. He drew in a breath as he ran his eyes over her smooth skin to the ankle that was exposed.

She had noticeable bruises where the Gallos must have forced her against the tray of the Ute. Her ankle was ringed with dark marks made by a man's fingers and hands. A ball of anger gnawed at him. Cody forced himself to get out of the bed.

Max greeted him, his tail wagged so fast that his back end moved from side to side.

"Hey boy," Cody whispered. "Come on I'll get you some breakfast."

He put the kettle on and filled the dog's bowl with biscuits. Cody grabbed his, Driza-bone and went outside to start the generator.

The rain came down hard. The chickens squawked and clucked so he went to have a look. They were perched on top of the roosting boxes. The bottom of the coop was filled with water and mud. Cody opened the gate, grabbed two hens and ran to the shed. He put them on the dry dirt floor and scattered some mash for them to peck.

He headed back to the pen. One of the hens had ventured outside. Cody grabbed it but it shot back through the gate. He caught two more hens and took them to the shed. He went back for the final two. The escapee scuttled into the open corner.

Cody lunged, but he slipped and landed in the mud. "Jesus!" The mucky water splashed on his face, which escalated his anger.

Max barked from the back door and then ran towards him. Cody caught the hen by the leg as it ran past. The last hen sat on top of one of the boxes so was easy to catch.

Cody trotted towards the shed. Max ran beside him, barking and jumping at the hens. "Sit!" The dog made one more lunge which pissed Cody off even more. "Sit down!" he yelled, swinging his leg out at Max to chase him away.

This wasn't the greatest morning Cody had ever experienced. He had a half-naked woman in his bed that he couldn't do anything with. An erection even the rain and sludge couldn't shrink. A flooded chicken coop and a mongrel dog covered in mud.

Cody started the generator, sprayed Max with the hose and stepped into the hall. He hung the coat on a hook on the wall. Thoughts of building a much-needed back verandah flashed through his mind. He shook himself off. The sound of a high-pitched squeal pierced his ears. Cody bolted to the kitchen to see Fin grab the metal handle of the kettle. "No...!"

She yelped and stepped back.

"Shit!" Cody stormed forward, grabbed a tea towel, and then took hold of the kettle. He had always meant to make a wooden grip to replace the original which had fallen apart. He threw it in the sink and turned on the tap. The kettle hissed as the cold water hit it. A cloud of steam surrounded his forearm. He left the tap running and then took hold of Fin's wrist. "What the fuck do you think you were doing? How dumb are you? You don't grab something hot with your bare hands!"

Fin tugged her hand from his hold. "Don't yell at me! I just woke up! I didn't know where I was or what it was! How dumb are you for putting it on and leaving it?"

Cody grabbed her again and shoved her hand under the cold water. He shouldn't have said she was dumb. He was pissed off with how the first thirty minutes of his morning had unfolded. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled but it hasn't been a great morning."

"You don't call me dumb."

"Okay. I said I'm sorry." He looked at her upturned face. An angry furrow creased her brow. Her beautiful blue eyes peered at him. A surge of desire tightened in his gut. He grinned at the realisation that even with an angry face he thought her beautiful. "You can be as angry as you like but I'm the one covered in mud because I fell on my arse chasing chickens and fighting off a mongrel dog."

He watched her eyes run over him. When she looked back up, he saw amusement on her face. "What?" He smirked. "Now you think it's funny."

"I'm glad you fell." Fin turned up her nose. "You deserve it because you're bossy."

"Bossy. How do you figure that?"

"Everything you've said and done has been an order. I bet that's why your family called you a prick."

Cody thought back and had to admit he had come across as demanding but he wouldn't apologise. Everything he'd said and done was to protect her. He shrugged and gave her a grin. "I guess you'll have to live with a prick." He turned off the tap and let go of her wrist.

Fin wiped it on her shirt and examined her fingers. Cody wanted to lift her and take her back to bed. Instead, he filled the kettle again and put it back on the heat. "I'm going for a shower so keep your eye on it. Use a tea towel to lift it and if you want breakfast there's cereal in the store and bread in the freezer or whatever else takes your fancy."

He sat in the tepid shower for a long time and thought he should organise the sleeping arrangements so he didn't have to be in the same bed with her because that was a disaster waiting to happen.

When he came out Fin was cooking scrambled eggs and toast.

She put a plate in front of him. "I thought you might feel better if you had a big breakfast. Maybe you won't be such a prick for the rest of the day."

Cody laughed as she grinned. He said, "If you cook for me every day, I'll try not to be a prick."

"Okay. I'll cook but you have to help me clean up."

"Does your father help you?"

"No." She frowned. "You're not my father. If you don't help, I won't cook."

Cody chuckled some more and dug into his eggs. They were good. He looked across at Fin to compliment her cooking. She was smiling, watching him. Her face coloured as she hung her head. "These are good, Fin."

She looked at him from under her brows and grinned as she picked up her fork to eat her eggs.

"I have to make some kind of hen house in the shed," Cody said. "The coops flooded so I'll be busy. You can do whatever you want. Sleep some more, whatever, because I'll be out of your way, okay."

"What should I do?"

Cody shrugged and put another forkful of food into his mouth. When he'd swallowed, he grinned and said, "Maybe you could cook some more. The store room has lots of food in there. The freezer is full of meat and bread. There's some frozen pastry and vegetables in there too. Do you cook with that kind of stuff?"

"Yes." Fin paused and said, "Maybe I could watch some TV."

"It doesn't work, at least not for TV. I can't get transmission out here. I use it to watch DVDs. Maybe tonight we'll watch one when the generators on because I'll have to turn it off in a few hours."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed and dropped her head again.

"There are books on the bookcase if you like to read."

Fin lifted her head and looked over at him again. "I can't read very well. I'm not good enough to read a big book with just words. I can only look at the pictures."

He recalled Snake saying something about her not being able to read. Cody realised that's why she'd said he had to read to her. He said, "Maybe we could read together. I could have a go at teaching you."

"Will you?" Fin's eyes lit with excitement.

Her face glowed. Cody thought she looked more beautiful than ever. A surge of pride filled him because he had done this with those few words. He sucked in a breath and eased it out as he leaned back in his chair and concentrated on the sentiments that rumbled through him.

"Will you teach me?" she asked again with uncertainty.

"I'll try." Her face beamed so he added, "You pick a book you think you'd like to read and we'll give it a go later when I've finished with the chooks."

Fin shovelled food into her mouth. "I'll clean the house then look at the books."

Cody smiled, finished his breakfast, took his plate to the bench, refilled the kettle, put it on the ring, and then turned on the tap to fill the sink.

"I can do it."

He spun around. Fin stood behind him with her plate in her hand. "I'll do it," she said. "You have to fix the hens."

"You said I had to help you." He gave her a puzzled look.

"Yes, but you're busy. I won't be doing anything much. I'll do it on my own this time. If you're working, I don't mind because it means we're both working."

"Alright. Yeah. Great. I'll get on with it then." Cody felt let down. In a way, he looked forward to washing the dishes with her. He put on the Driza-bone and headed out to the shed. He gave the outside of the coat a hose to wash the mud off and hung it over the back of the truck, then he pulled out some long pieces of timber and made measurements to cut the lengths he'd need with the electric saw before turning off the generator.

Chocolate fish for effort, Cody. 🐡