Mara McBain by McCade's Way

some hot cocoa? There is a little left here.”
    “You don’t know Wade. He likes things a certain way. Everything has to be perfect,” Rose whispered, letting Gen direct her into a chair.
    “Men all like things their way. No one is perfect.”
    “Wade is.”
    Gen rolled her eyes, swallowing her opinion on that statement. Setting the steaming cup in front of the distraught woman, she sat back down. Cuddling Lilly in her lap, she pulled the half mug she’d cooled for her over in front of them.
    “I’m sorry. Thank you for keeping her safe.”
    “It’s okay. Why would it have been bad if she was with her father? Is Wade not good with children?”
    “When my husband is angry he doesn’t just lash out physically. Last time I let Lilly out of my sight for just a moment, he hid her from me for two days,” Rose choked out.
    “Where did they go?”
    “I don’t know. He took Lilly somewhere and came back without her. He wouldn’t tell me where she was or if she was okay.”
    Gen covered her mouth in a gasp. She couldn’t imagine the horror of not knowing where your child was. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
    “Lilly’s been afraid of the dark since she got back. Bedtime is a nightmare, and Wade has no patience with her crying. I’m sorry. I know this all sounds crazy. I shouldn’t have said anything, but you’re being so kind to allow us to stay here and I screamed at you. I’m so sorry.”  
    “Please don’t be. I’m sorry I was so sharp with you. I can’t even imagine how frightened you were to wake up and find her gone,” Gen said, squeezing the other woman’s hand.
    “I know I don’t have the right to ask you this, but I’m begging you. Please, don’t say anything to your husband. He doesn’t like me. If he knew that I’d spoke to you like that—”
    “Trey is a fair man. He may be able to help you.”    
    “God, no. Please. You can’t tell him about Lilly. If Wade found out that I said anything, I don’t know what he would do.”
    Gen bit her lip in uncertainty, but finally nodded. “If you really don’t want me to say anything, I won’t.”
    “Thank you,” Rose said sincerely. “I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but your husband is terrifying!”
    Gen shook her head with a shiver. She’d rather face Trey’s honest anger than deal with a man that would use a child to play mind games. 
     
    Trey avoided the pumpkin guts on the cellar steps and sighed as he set the bushel basket down. He didn’t need to ask who was responsible for the mess. Working with Wade was worse than a child. Not even Nate had been this bad. If their daddy had been forced to explain the same thing over and over, he would’ve been explaining it with a strap. Cole met his eye as he carefully lined squash up on the cool floor. Wade was staring at the shelves full of canning jars.
    “You have heard of grocery stores, right?”
    “There are things that we buy at the store, but Mama and Daddy always prided themselves on the fact that our farm was pretty self-sufficient. Why pay higher prices for things we can raise right here?” Trey asked with a shrug.
    “Most people would say for convenience sake.”
    “And I would say those people are lazy,” Trey said flatly. Stepping over the mess again, he climbed the steps. “Clean this shit up before one of us slips in it.”
     
    “Is he always this demanding?” Wade asked with a huff.
    “Sometimes he’s worse. He was actually pretty patient today,” Cole said with a little shrug.
    “I don’t know how you tolerate the way he speaks to you.”
    “Just used to it I guess.”
    “I’m sure your father wouldn’t have approved of it.”
    “He sounds just like Daddy,” Cole said with a bark of laughter.
    “I think he takes his responsibilities as the oldest a little far. As partial owner of this farm, you should have a say in not only the way it’s ran, but in how the profits are spent. Your brother doesn’t