Shady officer before entering hut (9)
I believe the answer is:
sheltered
'shady' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'officer before entering hut' is the wordplay.
'officer' becomes 'lt' (abbreviation for lieutenant).
'before' becomes 'ere' (poetic term for 'before').
'entering' is an insertion indicator.
'hut' becomes 'shed' (hut in a garden).
'lt'+'ere'='ltere'
'ltere' going within 'shed' is 'SHELTERED'.
(Other definitions for sheltered that I've seen before include "in such accommodation?" , "Protected or shielded" , "Hidden" , "Protected from danger or bad weather" , "Secluded" .)