Page 37 of Whispering Waves

“Sure. Leave your coffee.”

She got to her feet. “Okay.”

He took her hand and led her out through the patio door. They walked about fifty feet from the main house, and there was a small version of the big house with a long enclosed run off it. Nina laughed. “Cute.”

“Thank you. It was a personal project.” He grinned. He had a wire basket in his other hand, and he opened the door to the outer enclosure. And when she was inside, he closed the door behind her. Softly clucking chickens were at the far end of the run.

He opened the coop and explained the feeders and the laying boxes. He showed her where to check for eggs while he got some scratch from storage containers inside the coop.

She grinned and lifted the basket. “Five.”

“The others will lay later today then.”

“Two were still really warm.” She smiled.

“That means that the ladies were just here. Do you want to feed them?”

“You mean more than the stuff in the hanging feeders?”

“Yeah. To keep their foraging impulses going, there is this mix called scratch that includes sunflower seeds.” He handed her the scoop. “Take handfuls and throw it around the run.”

She nodded and traded him the egg basket for the scoop. Nina went out and tossed handful after handful on the ground and blinked as the chickens swarmed the grain mix.

When the scoop was empty, she returned to the coop, and Kimo put everything back where it had been and closed everything up.

He grinned. “There. Now we have our breakfast.”

“Really? Is five enough?”

“Enough for a quiche.”

“Oh, I love quiche. What will you put in it?”

“Ham, mushrooms, sharp cheese.”

“Yum.”

“I have some work to do this afternoon, so would you like to nap?”

“Probably. We are still going to check out the power sources?”

“Absolutely, but you look exhausted.”

“Your fault.”

“I know, and I am stifling my pleasure at that little fact.”

She laughed, and they were back in the house. Time for brunch. She made the salad while he got the quiche underway.

“Nerina, we can finish the tour now.” His fingers on her cheek were as gentle as his voice.

“Okay.” She sat up, and leaving the bed this time was a lot easier.

When she was ready, they went for a walk outside, and she was introduced to the enormous array of panels that provided the house with everything it could need. They were bolted down in a pattern that would reduce storm effects, and the wind turbines had locks that could keep them from burning out in wild wind.

“So, the storm is going to be easy for you.”

He chuckled. “They are usually claustrophobic, but I think tomorrow’s storm will be fine. I will show you the storm shutters that I have put in place. They drop from inside and can be manually raised if necessary.”

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