Plain Promise Read online

  “Of course I’m going to help.” She thought he rolled his eyes before continuing. “And you can call me Kade.”

  Sadie didn’t answer. She opened the door and headed toward the crowd of people on the porch.

  “Thank you for coming, Sadie. And for bringing the car.” Lillian hugged her.

  Lillian’s mother, Sarah Jane, was talking to the elders gathered at the other end of the porch. Even the bishop had come, and he had to be at least Jonas’s age.

  “Where do you want us to start looking?” Sadie asked. She scanned the porch. About twenty folks so far.

  “Barbie should be here soon in her car. And she’s bringing several other Englisch friends with cars. Noah and Carley will be here soon, too, in their car. But in this wedder, it will take them longer to get here.” Lillian looked over Sadie’s shoulder. “The Englisch man is walking this way. Is he friendly?”

  Sadie shrugged. “He has a car.”

  “Hi.” Kade extended his hand to Lillian. “I’m Kade Saunders.” “Thank you for bringing your car, Mr. Saunders.” Lillian looked at Kade’s running shoes, covered in snow. “Do you have no boots?”

  “No . . .” Kade sounded embarrassed. “I wasn’t very prepared for this weather. I’m planning to get some in town when the weather clears.”

  “You won’t need them then,” Lillian said with a smirk on her face. “Mei daadi has an extra pair of boots inside the house. I’ll get them for you.”

  “Thanks,” Kade said.

  Sadie could hear Sarah Jane instructing the others where to go, areas Jonas might have gone. Her stomach rolled. In this weather, Jonas would freeze . . . She squelched the thought and turned her attention to Kade. He was shivering like a little girl.

  “I hate the cold,” he snapped as he wrapped his arms around himself.

  “I told you, you can sit in the car.”

  Kade waved his hand in front of her, signaling silence. He’d done that before, and she didn’t like it. “I want to help. I’m just not used to this weather. That’s all.”

  Lillian returned with a pair of Jonas’s boots and a heavy coat. Much heavier than the lightweight overcoat Kade was wearing. “Here you go, Mr. Saunders.” Lillian offered him the boots and coat.

  “Thanks.” Kade wasted no time putting on the coat, then pulled the boots over his tennis shoes.

  Lillian grabbed Sadie by the arm and began pulling her away from the others. Kade stayed where he was—still shivering.

  “The elders will divide up and search the back roads. Mamm will stay here, and everyone will be checking back on the hour. When other Englisch our get here, we’ll have several portable telephones to use. Does your friend have one? A cell phone?”

  “He’s not my friend. He’s my renter. But I reckon he has one.”

  “Sadie, there’s somewhere I need you to go, to look for Jonas. Somewhere I don’t want the others to know about. I don’t even want mei mamm to know.” Lillian flinched and glanced toward her husband, Samuel, at the other end of the porch. “Actually, there are two places. Samuel will go to one of the spots with Noah and Carley in their car when they get here. Will you and Mr. Saunders go to the other place?”

  Sadie knew that Lillian trusted her, and Noah and Carley, to be discreet. Noah was Samuel’s shunned brother who had left the Old Order to become a doctor, and who ended up marrying one of Lillian’s best friends. They were officially outsiders, but really weren’t. The entire community adored them both. Noah’s clinic was frequented by the Amish, despite the bishop’s initial ruling that their district couldn’t patronize Noah’s health facility. But ever since Noah had donated one of his kidneys to Samuel’s son, David, things had been different. The bishop now seemed to overlook things related to Noah and his shunning.

  “Where is it that you want us to go?” Sadie asked.

  Lillian frowned and leaned toward Sadie’s ear. “There’s a little pub down a ways on Lincoln Highway. I fear he might be in there.” Lillian stood straight again and waited for a reaction from Sadie.

  “Uh, do you mean a bar that serves beer and the like?” Sadie had never been in such a place.

  “I hate to ask you.” Lillian paused. “But once, I was driving the buggy to market, and I saw Grandpa’s buggy parked outside the place. I know it was his, because it has that dent on the right side from when Noah backed his car into it one time.” She shook her head. “I remember that Grandpa was fit to be tied when that happened. Anyway, I had the baby with me, so I didn’t go in.”

  “What’s the other place?” Sadie was wondering if she could choose between the two—if the other spot might not be as bad.

  “It’s a pub, too, further down Lincoln Highway. It’s a little rougher, though. I figured Noah, Samuel, and Carley can take that one.”

  That answered Sadie’s question. “Have you caught him in there before too?”

  “Ya. I did. And that time I wasn’t with the baby, so I went in and coaxed him out. He made me promise not to tell mei mamm, which I didn’t. It was harmless enough. He was chatting with some Englisch men that he knew. But he had no business in such a place, so I kindly told him we needed to be on our way.” Lillian’s eyes grew glassy. “Sadie, I am hoping he’s in one of those places on this night. If he’s out in this weather . . .”

  “We’ll leave right now.” Sadie turned to see Kade holding his position and making no effort to talk to any of the others. He looked out of place, and she dreaded having to spend more time with him.

  “There’s Noah and Carley.” Lillian pointed to a car coming up the drive. Then she hugged Sadie. “Danki.”

  Kade was glad to reach the main highway. There was little traffic, and the snow plows were hard at work keeping the streets clear. Driving down Black Horse Road had been an effort. He sure hoped this Jonas fellow was indoors and not out in the weather. It had been just the opposite the day he found his father. Hot. Humid. Kade struggled to push the thought to the back of his mind.

  “There it is.” She pointed to their right. Looked like a hole-in-the-wall joint. “You don’t have to go inside,” she added.

  “I was just about to tell you the same thing.” Kade suspected Sadie wouldn’t be comfortable going in such an establishment.

  “No, Jonas knows me. I’m not sure he trusts—”

  “Me?” Kade grunted. “Yeah, I got that impression earlier today.”

  “He’s very protective of Lillian and all her friends,” she said with pride.

  Kade put the car in park. “Ready?” He certainly wasn’t, but the sooner they got this over with, the better. “Hopefully, we’ll find him inside.”

  She stepped out of the car and pulled the hood of her black coat over her head. Kade found a similar hood on his coat and pulled it on. It was a short walk to the pub, but the snow was coming down in thick blankets. He felt ridiculous in the black galoshes, but his feet were staying dry. He pulled the long, brass handle protruding from the wooden door. Cigarette smoke hit him in the face as he held the door for Sadie. He stayed close behind her.

  About fifteen square tables were scattered about the place, each with a red and white-checkered tablecloth and four chairs. Small, glass vases housed worn silk flowers in the middle of the tables, surrounded by salt, pepper, ketchup, and steak sauce. At least it wasn’t just a beer joint.

  Only two of the tables had patrons. A long bar ran the length of the back wall, and it didn’t take Kade long to spot an Amish man sitting alone—his straw hat on and a frosty mug in his hand.

  “There he is.” Sadie pointed. She sounded relieved and wasted no time moving toward him. Kade followed.

  “Jonas!” Sadie snapped when she reached his side. “The entire community is looking for you.” Relief flooded over her, despite her disciplinarian tone. “We have a car with us. Let’s get you home. Thank the good Lord you are safe.” She threw her arms around him. He didn’t respond, and a chill ran up Sadie’s spine. Perhaps he was angry with her for coming.

  “Jonas?” S
he waited for an acknowledgment. He took a drink of what appeared to be beer from a tall, glass mug. Then he turned toward her, stared, and looked past her to Kade.

  “Who are you?” He cut his eyes in Kade’s direction.

  “You saw him this morning, Jonas. His name is Kade Saunders.” Sadie stepped back and made room for Kade, who extended his hand to Jonas.

  “Nice to meet you, Jonas. A lot of people will be glad you’re safe.”

  Jonas firmly took hold of Kade’s hand, stared blankly at him, and then turned to Sadie. “And who are you?”

  Sadie’s mouth dropped. “Jonas. It’s me. Sadie.”

  Jonas let go of Kade’s hand and stared at her. “Sadie who?”

  He was playing with her. He had to be. “Why Sadie Fisher, of course.” She smiled hesitantly. Jonas didn’t.

  “Serve these folks a beer, wouldja, Hank?” Jonas said to the short Englisch man behind the bar.

  “No. Danki,” Sadie quickly said to the bartender. She knew Jonas’s medications caused him to act out of character from time to time, but never anything like this. She glanced at the bartender, who was trying to get her attention with a wave of his hand.

  “It’s only root beer,” the man mouthed in Sadie’s direction when Jonas wasn’t looking. Sadie nodded.

  “Jonas, I don’t want a beer. We have to go.” She gently touched his arm. “Right now. Lillian and Sarah Jane are terribly worried, and—”

  “I don’t know why they’d be worried. I told Irma Rose where I’d be.” Jonas took another drink from the glass.

  What?

  “Who’s Irma Rose?” Kade directed the question to Sadie, but it was Jonas who answered.

  “Irma Rose is mei fraa. She don’t much care for me comin’ here, but she don’t make too big a stink about it.”

  “Well, if his wife knows he’s here . . .” Kade said to Sadie in a whisper after Jonas turned and focused on the television behind the bar.

  “His wife is dead,” Sadie mouthed and stared at him.

  “Oh, I see . . .”

  She faced Jonas. “Jonas, Irma Rose isn’t here—”

  But Kade interrupted her by waving his hand in front of her again. “Jonas, what’s Irma Rose cooking you for supper?”

  Huh? Sadie glared at Kade. What was he doing?

  Jonas turned to Kade and smiled. “A mighty fine meal it will be. Irma Rose is a gut cook. I reckon she’ll have me a pot roast when I get home.”

  “Pot roast, huh?” Kade stepped closer, edging Sadie back a bit. “Nothing like a pot roast. Does she put potatoes and carrots all around it and let it cook all day? That’s how my mom used to do it.”

  Sadie stood quietly.

  “Your mamm sounds like a gut woman. That’s exactly the way my Irma Rose does it. Makes for a fine meal indeed.”

  “Isn’t it after the supper hour? I bet Irma Rose has that pot roast ready and is keeping it warm for you.” Kade touched Jonas’s arm, a gesture Sadie found endearing, considering the way Jonas had treated Kade earlier.

  Jonas was focused on the television. A commercial. “Why would anyone cook food from a box?”

  Kade kept talking. “I agree. Never as good as a home-cooked meal. I haven’t had pot roast in a really long time.”

  Jonas turned his way. “Irma Rose always makes plenty enough. You wanna have yourself some pot roast tonight?”

  “I’d love to.” Kade smiled. “And I’m starving. Why don’t we head that way?”

  It’s working. Sadie played along. “I’m hungry, too, Jonas. Can we go now?”

  Jonas pushed a five-dollar bill toward the man behind the bar. “Hank, I can’t let these two young people starve, so I reckon I’m heading to the haus.”

  “Okay, Jonas. You take care now.” Hank winked at Sadie. “You folks be careful.”

  Once Sadie had buckled Jonas safely in the front seat of the car, she prepared to close the door. “I will see you at the haus.” “What?” Kade eyed her like she was a crazy woman.

  “I have to take the buggy home.” Did the Englischer think she’d leave Jessie and the buggy here?

  “It’s freezing out here. You can’t drive that buggy home!”

  “The boy is right, Lilly. Too cold for you. I’ll drive the buggy home.” Jonas unbuckled his seat belt, and Sadie ignored the fact he called her Lilly, his nickname for his granddaughter.

  “Jonas, you stay put.” Sadie slammed the door and began making her way to the buggy. Kade was quickly out of the car and walking her way.

  “Just go back to the car and get Jonas home.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

  “I can’t let you drive the buggy in this weather.” Kade put his hand on his hip. “That’s insane.”

  Sadie laughed. “Ach, I suppose you will drive it?” She paused, lifted her chin. “And I will drive your fancy car. It can’t be that hard.”

  “Have you ever driven a car?”

  “Have you ever driven a buggy?”

  The car door opened, and Jonas stepped out.

  “Go get him back into the car and take him home!” Sadie stomped her foot. “Please. It’s not like I’ve never driven a buggy in the snow. Now, go!”

  Kade drove slowly behind the buggy. He kept a safe distance while he watched Sadie maneuvering the buggy like she must have done her entire life. But it seemed wrong for him to be in the warmth of his car while she fought the elements. She can be a little spitfire when she puts her mind to it.

  “You courtin’ her?” Jonas asked after an awkward silence.

  “What?”

  “That woman. You courtin’ her?” Jonas tucked his thumbs beneath his suspenders and turned toward Kade.

  Not sure if Jonas knew who that woman was, Kade said, “No. We’re just friends.”

  They were hardly friends. He barely knew her.

  “Sadie is a special gal. I wasn’t sure the poor girl was gonna survive after her husband died.”

  Kade was glad to see Jonas knew who Sadie was, and the old man had sparked his interest. “When did her husband die?”

  “Several years ago.” Jonas sighed. “I weren’t sure we’d ever get her back to normal again. The girl had a hard time of it. But she’s done a fine job tendin’ to her farm.”

  “It’s a lot to take care of for one woman.”

  “She has lots of help from the community. Just until she marries her friend from Texas.” He paused and drew his mouth into a frown. “If that ever happens.”

  “Oh, she’s engaged?”

  “If you wanna call it that.” Jonas shriveled up his nose. “How can you be writing letters to a fella for two years? Seems to me he’d have already made it a point to travel here. But I don’t mention that to her.”

  “They’ve never met?” Wow. Two years was a long time to be corresponding.

  “Who’s never met?”

  Kade assumed he was losing Jonas. “Sadie and the man from Texas.”

  “Oh. No. They’ve not met. He better be gut to that Sadie if they get a notion to marry. She is special. A gut friend to mei granddaughter too.”

  They sat quietly as they neared Jonas’s house. Kade couldn’t imagine how cold Sadie must be. He felt like a heel. But she was right. He didn’t know how to drive a buggy, and she didn’t know how to drive a car.

  “Bet that pot roast is gonna be mighty gut. Hope Irma Rose doesn’t fuss because I’m late.” Jonas shook his head.

  Kade just smiled. He was thankful this night had a happy ending.

  His cell phone rang when he pulled into the driveway at Jonas’s farm. He picked it up from the console and was surprised to see that it was Val. He glanced at Jonas, who was staring straight ahead, and flipped the phone open.

  “Well, hello, stranger.”

  “Hey, partner,” Val said. “I’ve got some news you’re not going to like.”

  Straight to the point. “That’s never a good thing to hear.” Kade braced himself. “What?”

  “Monica’s on
her way there.”

  “What? How does she know where I am?”

  “I haven’t a clue, Kade. I didn’t tell her. I wouldn’t do that. I know you need this time to regroup.”

  “Do you know when she’s going to be here?” Kade’s chest tightened.

  “Any day. That’s what I heard via the grapevine from the women at the country club.”

  “She called recently, but I didn’t answer the phone. I didn’t want to deal with her. But she didn’t leave a message. I cannot believe she is coming here all the way from North Carolina. That’s insane.”

  At least the old man was okay, he thought, putting the car in park. “I’ll be there in a minute,” he whispered to Jonas, who nodded.

  “Kade . . .”

  “Yeah?” The way Val said his name indicated there was more. “What else?”

  “She’s not coming alone.”

  4

  ON THE DRIVE BACK, SADIE SOAKED UP THE JAZZY music filling the inside of Kade’s car. She’d already thanked him for what he’d done, but he had waved her off with that bothersome gesture that irritated her more with each shushing movement. Didn’t he realize how rude that was?

  She breathed in the aroma of leather coming from the black seats in the car, commingled with a hint of Kade’s cologne. More gadgets than she’d ever seen lined the console, and he seemed to be controlling the selection and volume of music from his steering wheel. The small confines of Kade’s automobile gave her a glimpse into the luxurious way he lived. It all seemed very unnecessary. Did the Englisch really need all this to be happy? Kade seemed to need more than most.

  She’d be glad to get home. The snow hadn’t let up, but Kade seemed to have better control of his automobile as he steered onto Black Horse Road.

  “What kind of music do you enjoy?” he asked when the silence grew awkward. “I hope this is okay. It’s Dmitri Shostakovich.”

  Sadie turned toward him. “I mostly listen to country gospel when I have a chance.” She paused and looked straight ahead.

  “We can’t own radios, but we listen to music when we get rides with Englischers, and sometimes we attend local festivals when there is a gospel concert—if it’s a free concert in the park. The bishop doesn’t like for us to buy tickets for such events.” She glanced back toward him. “But I’m enjoying this music very much.”