Plain Promise by Beth Wiseman Page A

with guilt that he hadn’t tried harder to spend more time with his son. But there was work. Then there was Alicia, for a while. Somehow, forcing the issue of seeing Tyler kept taking a backseat. Somehow, six months had passed since his last visit. Now Tyler was five years old, and Kade didn’t really know his own son. And the part that shredded his insides the most was that he was afraid to know him.

    When Tuesday arrived, Sadie had something to look forward to. Today Milo would call, and she couldn’t wait to hear the sound of his voice. It had been a long week. She hadn’t done more than wave from afar to Kade since the night they went looking for Jonas, but today was the day she’d restock his refrigerator.
    At least it wasn’t snowing, and the temperature was up into the forties. The sun was shining, and slowly things were thawing out. So far this winter, Lancaster County had gotten more snow than usual. And she just read in the paper that another storm was coming in a week or so.
    Sadie pulled on her boots, but decided to forgo her heavy jacket to wear her cape and bonnet instead. It might be a bit chilly with the wind, but she’d been bundled in the coat for days. She welcomed a trip to the market. Just not looking forward to the challenge of finding replacement items for Kade’s groceries.
    She was grateful that Kade continued to stack firewood on the porch, replenishing as needed. And Sadie continued to make fresh batches of tapioca pudding when the empty container showed up on the woodpile. But he stayed to himself, and that was fine by her.
    She’d started this day the way she did every day, beginning with prayer, followed by a bowl of oatmeal. No sense making a big breakfast just for her. After she ate, she’d always do whatever cleaning was on her list for the day. Today, she dusted all the furniture downstairs. Some days it seemed a waste to keep things so tidy when she was usually the only one who ever saw the inside of the farmhouse. But she needed to keep up the practice for when she and Milo started a life together. Plus, she couldn’t let Lillian or any of the other women catch her house in a mess.
    Next was tending to the few animals she had left—two horses, an old milk cow that no longer produced, and two pigs. It was enough to handle—feeding them all, brushing the horses, and cleaning the stalls. On Mondays, she fired up the gasoline motor for the wringer and washed the clothes, then hung them to dry outside. The clothes would often freeze this time of year, but when that happened, she’d cart them in and drape them across the furniture near the fireplace. There was always something to do, even if it was a simple chore like mending a dress hem. She baked daily for herself, and also for others, like Lizzie. And lately, she’d been baking for her renter as well.
    Her schedule varied when it was her day to tend the shop. Lillian’s sisters-in-law, Rebecca and Mary Ellen, were taking their turn today, so it worked out that Sadie could go to market. She was getting ready to step into the buggy when she heard Kade call her name.
    She turned around to see him walking toward her.
    “I’m on my way to market, Mr. Saunders. I’ll be back shortly to restock your refrigerator.” She pulled her cape tighter around her and wondered if she’d made a mistake by not wearing her heavy coat.
    “What happened to calling me Kade?” He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he swooshed his hand the way he does. “Anyway—”
    And that was all it took.
    “Why do you do that?” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
    “Do what?”
    “That shushing thing you do with your hand. It’s most rude.” Right away, she wished she hadn’t said anything. His face drew a blank. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
    “No. It’s okay. I’ve heard that before, and it’s a terrible habit.”
    He held his hands up as if Sadie had a gun pointed in his direction. “I won’t do it again. I