Plain Promise (29 page)

“Whoa, Pete,” Lillian instructed the horse. She pulled off on the side of Black Horse Road to read Sadie’s letter before she arrived at her
mamm’s
. Anna had dozed off in her carrier, and Lillian wanted to enjoy a quiet moment reading what Sadie had been up to. She pried the envelope open and pulled out the letter. Lillian took a deep breath and unfolded the white paper. She wanted Sadie to be happy, just not so far away in Texas.

Dear Lillian,

I am sorry it took so long for me to pen this note. It was a long travel on the
bus from our home to Texas. But there was much to talk about with Milo
during our trip. He is a kind man and everything I had hoped he would be. Milo’s family has made me feel welcome. He has three sisters—Ellen,
Hannah, and Lavina. Between them, they have twelve children. Milo’s
mamm, Martha, is a gut woman, and I like her very much. His daed, John,
I don’t see much. He is a hard worker, always busy making furniture or
tending to chores around the farm. I am staying with Martha and John while
I am here.

Milo is a hard worker too. He stays busy at his farm and with his woodworking
projects, and he comes to his folks’ haus in the evenings to pick me up,
just like if we were young and courting. We even attended a Sunday singing,
although I felt a mite silly at my age.

I’m not sure if this is an Old Order District, or just a gathering of Old
Order families. There are only a few families left, and almost everyone works in the city. Milo is one of the few who farms his land, but he also must hold
a construction job in town to make ends meet. Their ways are different than
our ways. Shunning is almost unheard-of, and the supper hour is at 6:00
instead of four. They sleep later too, until 6:30. I like that part.

I miss you, Lillian. And Rachel, Mary Ellen, Katie Ann, and Sarah Jane. And I miss Jonas, his protective ways of me. I must tell you, in confidence, I
miss the Englischer and his boy very much. Can you please write to me and
tell me how they are doing?

Lillian, I will need to sell my farm to have a life here with Milo. We discussed
him moving to Lancaster County, but it seems to make more sense for us to live
amongst his large family. I will continue to live with his folks until a time when
we see fit to marry, which most likely will be after the fall harvest in November. As our Order has done in the past, please offer my land to someone in the Amish
community first. I’m sure Bishop Ebersol can handle the arrangements.

I will be back on April 1 to gather my things. Kade and Tyler will be
gone by then. I hope that my renters have not been too much trouble. The boy
loves tapioca pudding, and Kade eats just about anything, but I don’t think he
knows how to cook much. And Lillian, Tyler likes to read books. He doesn’t
really understand them, but I have a big box of books suitable for him in my
bedroom. I collected them over the years for a child of my own, but please give
them to Tyler. Milo’s family has many books here, if God should ever bless me
and Milo with a child.

If it’s not too much trouble, can you please show Kade how to make tapioca
pudding so he can make it for the boy when he returns to his home in Los Angeles? Or maybe he can give the recipe to whoever might be tending to Tyler.

I must go, Lillian. Please write to me very soon.

Em Gott Sei Friede,

Sadie

“God’s peace to you, too, my friend,” Lillian whispered. She folded the note and put it back in the envelope, most disturbed by the tone of Sadie’s letter. It seemed to Lillian that Sadie was masking sadness, not once mentioning that she loved Milo, and focusing instead on the needs of the
Englischers
.

Lillian whistled Pete into action and continued down Black Horse Road to her
mamm
’s house. She headed down the long driveway and fought the worry in her heart about Sadie. But what a surprise she had when she pulled near the house.

Grandpa, Kade, and the boy were busy making a snowman in the front yard. It seemed strange to Lillian on several levels. One, she’d never seen her grandfather frolicking about in such a playful way. Two, Kade Saunders was laughing and playful as well, a far cry from the stuffy
Englischer
who had shown up several weeks ago. And most of all, she couldn’t get past what good friends Kade and her grandpa had become.

She headed toward the house with Anna on her hip. “Hello,” she hollered to the trio as she made her way up the porch steps.

“Hello, Lilly.” Grandpa packed another mound of snow on their structure, and then held Tyler in his arms so the boy could place a carrot nose on the snowman. Kade waved, but quickly refocused his attention on his project.

“What have I told you about carrying that baby when you are this pregnant?”
Mamm
met Lillian at the steps and pulled Anna from her arms. “It’s still slippery out here, and last thing we need is for you to fall with this baby in your arms.”

“I’m fine,
Mamm
,” Lillian mumbled. She turned to have a final look at her grandpa, Kade, and Tyler. “What are Kade and his son doing here?”

Sarah Jane put Anna in a high chair and offered her some crackers. “I told you, your grandpa and Kade have developed quite a friendship. Pop is either there, or Kade and the boy are here.” Her
mamm
paused, raised her brows. “Want to hear something even more shocking?”

Lillian sat down on the bench in the kitchen. “I don’t know,” she said hesitantly.

“Your grandfather is teaching Kade the
Ordnung
. Kade asked him to.”

“What? Why?” Lillian paused for a moment. “Kade Saunders can’t possibly be thinking of staying here. That’s ridiculous, a man of his stature and wealth. I mean, why would he do such a thing?”

Her mother shrugged. “You tell me.” Her mother walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a tub of chicken salad. She began to spread the mixture on slices of bread she had laid out.

“
Mamm
, if he’s staying because of Sadie, that is the wrong reason to join the community.” Lillian shook her head.

Sarah Jane placed her hands on her hips and faced Lillian. “Are you sure you are one to speak against this?”

Lillian’s jaw dropped. “I didn’t convert to Amish to be with Samuel,
Mamm
, and you know that.”

Her mother didn’t say anything, but continued to spread chicken salad on the bread. She topped each mound with another piece of bread. Then she turned around and winked at her daughter. “I never said you did.”

Lillian always believed that she would have converted to the Amish faith, with or without Samuel by her side. But was she being honest with herself?

“A man like Kade doesn’t leave the
Englisch
world,
Mamm
. He’s been on the cover of
Forbes
, for goodness’ sakes. He’s a millionaire. A person like that doesn’t give it all up to become Amish, for a woman or otherwise.”

“I approached this very subject with your grandfather. He said Kade is a miserable, unhappy man in search of the same peacefulness that you came here looking for.”

“It’s not the same!” Lillian insisted. “He has a life. Millions of dollars, people counting on him, probably lives in a mansion. People like him don’t do things like this.” Lillian folded her arms across her chest.

“Lillian, you know it’s not our place to judge Kade’s heart in this matter.” Her mother reprimanded her with her eyes, and Lillian recalled being on the other side of this conversation with Sadie recently. Lillian had accused Sadie of this very thing where Kade was concerned.

“I know,
Mamm
,” she said, then sighed. “But how in the world did Kade and Grandpa become friends in the first place?”

“I think your grandpa took a liking to the boy first and then got to know Kade.” She twisted around and smiled. “And it didn’t hurt that Kade turned out to be quite the chess player. To tell you the truth, Lillian, I’m relieved your grandpa has someone else besides me to play chess with. I don’t have time to always be indulging him. Kade seemed to take over where Lizzie left off.” Lillian sighed. “We need to talk about Lizzie,
Mamm
. I think—”

“You think what?” Her grandpa burst through the kitchen door, followed by Kade and Tyler. “Is lunch ready?” he asked next. “We done worked up an appetite.” He hung his straw hat on the rack and sat down at the head of the long, wooden table, and then turned toward Lillian, his face as serious as she’d ever seen it. “What about Lizzie?”

“Hello,” Lillian said to Kade; then she turned to Tyler. “Hello, Tyler. Did you have fun making a snowman?” The boy’s eyes jetted around the room, but he smiled for an instant in Lillian’s direction.

Grandpa grunted. “Tell me about Lizzie,” he demanded.

Lillian pursed her lips together for a moment, then said, “She doesn’t seem like she’s doing very
gut.
”

Grandpa sat up a little taller and narrowed his eyes in Lillian’s direction. “What do you mean?”

“She’s just—just out of sorts a little.” Lillian paused. “I mean, Lizzie’s house has always been so tidy, but today when I stopped by there, dishes were piled in the sink, the milk she offered Anna was sour and smelled as if it had been in there for weeks, and . . .”

“And what?” Grandpa asked.

“She called me Mary Ellen when I left.” Lillian turned toward her mother. “
Mamm
, I think we need to go over there later and help Lizzie clean up. I would have done it while I was there, but I had Anna, and I’m limited by what I can do with my big belly and all. Maybe we can—”

Grandpa was on his feet. “Sarah Jane, I’m taking the buggy out for while.”

“Don’t you want lunch?” she asked. “I have your sandwich ready.” Her mother held a plate toward him but was left standing there as Grandpa scrambled out the door.

There was no doubt in Lillian’s mind where Grandpa was headed. And since she’d already stirred things up in one couple’s tattered love life, why stop there? “I received a letter from Sadie today,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“What?” Kade asked, his eyes wide. Then he tried to readjust his excitement. “I mean, how is she doing?”

Kade didn’t fool her for a minute. “Fine,” Lillian said. Selfish thoughts plagued her mind—
if Kade were to convert to the Amish faith,
Sadie might come home
. “Well, I
guess
she’s fine,” she added.

“What do you mean, you
guess
?” Kade accepted a plate from Sarah Jane. “
Danki
,” he said smoothly.

Lillian laughed.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I’m sorry.” She laughed again. “It sounds funny to hear you speaking Pennsylvania
Deitsch
.”

“Lillian,” Sarah Jane began in a tone that Lillian was familiar with. “I don’t think anyone laughed at you when you were learning the
Deitsch
.”

But Lillian didn’t apologize. She tapped her finger to her chin, eyeballing Kade.

“What do you mean you guess Sadie is fine?” Kade asked again.

“She wants us to have Bishop Ebersol take care of selling her farm.”

“What? Why?” Kade’s voice rose in surprise. “Why would she sell her farm? To move to Texas? She doesn’t even
know
that Milo person. I thought she was just going for a visit?”

Sarah Jane sat down at the table with her own plate. “It does seem a little fast,” she said.

“Evidently she is going to stay in Texas. She and Milo are talking of marriage, maybe in November,” Lillian said. She looked at Kade. “So, I guess you won’t need to be continuing your studies of the
Ordnung
.”

Kade reached over to wipe chicken salad from Tyler’s chin. “Why is that?”

“I guess I figure, what’s the point?” Lillian shrugged, then took a bite of her sandwich.

Her mother glared in her direction. “It’s probably none of your business,” Sarah Jane said.

“No, it’s all right.” Kade took a deep breath and stared hard at Lillian. “I guess you think I have alternative motives for learning about the Amish ways?”

“It crossed my mind.” Lillian smiled.

Kade took a bite of his sandwich. “Hmm,” he mumbled.

“I can’t imagine, in my wildest of dreams, why a man of your stature would be so interested in our ways. I can’t help but wonder if it’s because—” Lillian could feel her mother’s glare blazing into her skin, but she went on. “Because of Sadie.”

“It is exactly because of Sadie.” Kade’s expression challenged her to argue.

“Well, that’s the wrong reason to—”

But Kade interrupted her. “Sadie represents the kind of person I want to be, a Christ-centered person, a person of faith. I want to be a good father, a good man . . .” He paused, his eyes filled with hope. “Sadie makes me want to be a better person. So, yes, my decision to study the
Ordnung
is because of Sadie.”

“She’s not coming back,” Lillian stated emphatically.

“Does that mean I can’t stay, in search of my own peace? It seemed to have worked for you. Or did you convert to be with Samuel?”

“I did not convert just to—” Lillian’s voice rose, bristling with indignation. “You don’t know what you’re talking about anyway, and—”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about either.” His angry gaze swept over her.

“Both of you, stop it!” Sarah Jane interjected. “You sound like two bickering children.” She shook her finger at Lillian. “You are in no position to judge what Kade is doing.” Then she pointed the same crooked finger in Kade’s direction. “And you are in no position to judge Lillian’s actions. That is for God, and God only. So both of you settle down.”

Tyler began to slam his hands on the table, as if sensing the upset in the room, which caused his tea to spill. Then Anna began to wail.

“See what you both have done,” Sarah Jane said. She picked up Anna and paced the kitchen, while Kade attempted to comfort Tyler.

“Hey, buddy,” Kade said. “Everything is okay. Let’s don’t do that.” He looked up at Sarah Jane. “Sorry about the mess.”