Plain Promise (40 page)

But before Kade had a chance to answer, Lizzie spoke up. “Kade, do you think Tyler would spend the night with us tonight? We’d be glad to carry him to our house.” Then Sadie saw her wink at Kade.

“What’s going on?” Sadie whispered in Lillian’s ear.

Lillian had little Elizabeth Mae in her arms, while Samuel stood nearby, toting Anna. David was walking out with Sarah Jane. “I don’t know.” She shrugged.

Kade and Jonas exchanged grins. Then Kade smiled at Lillian. “You are not telling me the truth,” Sadie whispered to Lillian. “Something is going on, and everyone seems to know but me.”

Lillian kissed Sadie on the cheek. “You’ll know soon enough.”

Sadie looked back toward Kade. “I think Tyler would love to spend the night,” Kade said. “How does that sound, Tyler? Do you want to go stay with Jonas?” Kade squatted down on the floor and started to help Tyler put his letters in the lunch box. “No promises, Jonas. I don’t know how Tyler will do.”

“Tyler loves Jonas,” his son said.

Jonas’s face lit up. “I think we’ll be mighty fine.”

Kade waited until everyone was out in the yard before he approached Sadie. “I thought maybe we could talk?”

“Can’t imagine ’bout what,” she said, shrugging as she refused to make eye contact.

“Just give me a minute to tell them a few things about Tyler.” Kade whisked past her and out the door.

Sadie began to rinse the last few dishes in the sink. When she heard footsteps, she looked over her shoulder. “Hello, Tyler.”

The boy had his arms outstretched. “Hug,” he said.

“Oh, sweetheart. Of course.” Sadie dropped the towel on the counter and walked toward him. She wrapped her arms around him, and Tyler did the same. With his head on her shoulder, he spoke softly. “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”

Tyler pulled away, then smiled.

“I see you’ve been reading your Bible,” she said. “Ephesians 6:10. You are such a sweet boy.” Once again, Tyler’s quoting of the Scripture seemed to come at an opportune time. Sadie was trying hard to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, trusting that His will would be done.

“Tyler loves Sadie.”

Sadie blinked back tears. “Oh, Tyler. Sadie loves you too.”

Then he ran outside.

After a few minutes, when Kade didn’t come back into the house, she walked out onto the porch to find him sitting in one of the rockers. “What do you want to talk to me about?” she asked. Everyone was gone, and he was just sitting there.

He stood up. “Let’s take a walk. It’s a beautiful afternoon.” He reached out his hand to her.

She ignored his gesture and asked, “What do you want, Kade?” She didn’t need to take a walk. She needed to understand why everyone was winking and snickering earlier. She needed to know why Kade had avoided her for weeks, as if she had imagined what they’d shared.

Kade walked toward her, and she stepped back, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden.

“Come here, Sadie,” he whispered. He drew even closer to her. “What do you want, Kade?” She was almost yelling. “I haven’t seen you in weeks. You just left, and you said you needed time by yourself with Tyler, and I thought—” She hung her head.

“You thought what? That I didn’t care about you?”

She glared at him. “
Ya
. You left. And you’ve been back all this time, without so much as a visit.” She turned away from him. “I think you best go.”

When his arms wrapped around her waist, Sadie was paralyzed. She could feel his breath against her neck. “Sadie,” he whispered. Then he gently turned her around to face him, holding her out at arm’s length. “Have you taken a
gut
look at me today?” She couldn’t help but grin at his use of the
Deitsch
. Then she scanned him from head to toe. “
Ya
. I took notice earlier, and you make a fine-looking Amish man.”

“That’s why I’ve been staying away, Sadie.”

He pulled her into his arms, and his lips drew close to hers. She began to tremble. “Why?”

“Because I needed to make a decision about my faith, my life, and not do it based on my feelings for you. I needed to know if this—being Amish—was right for me. And you, my dear friend Sadie, would have only clouded my judgment.” He gazed into her eyes. “Do you remember what I promised? To walk with Him and see where His road leads me. It brought me right here, to you.”

His lips met hers tenderly, and Sadie fell into the moment, as if she’d waited her entire life for him. “I love you, Sadie,” he said. “And if you’d allow me, I’d like to court you properly. I spoke with Bishop Ebersol yesterday about my intentions to be baptized into the faith, and also sought his permission to court you. So, it’s with his blessing that I am here.”

Her knees began to fold underneath her weight, and tears threatened to spill over. Could this be happening? At last? It was as if the heavens had opened up and shined light down on the two of them. “Kade—”

He brushed the tear from her cheek. “Do you think you could love me, Sadie? Because I have this dream I’ve been harboring for weeks, that you, Tyler, and I could someday be a family. I needed to know in my heart that I was following God’s plan for me, and—” “I love you,” she said, putting a gentle finger against his lip. “I’ve loved you for a long time.”

Kade kissed her again. Sadie closed her eyes and gave thanks and praise to God. She wasn’t going to be alone after all. She would be with the ones she loved most. “You know,” she said softly as Kade gazed into her eyes, the back of his hand stroking her cheek. “I can tell Tyler has been reading his Bible, because once again he quoted a Bible scripture to me. Today, in the kitchen, before he left.”

“What did he say?” Kade asked. He leaned back from her slightly, his eyes still fused with hers.

“He said, ‘Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.’”

Kade looked down, then lifted his eyes to hers. “He told me the same thing out in the yard when I told him good-bye.” Then Kade pulled her close, and she could feel him trembling. “He . . . he also told me he loves me,” Kade added in a shaky voice. “It was the first time.”

“Oh, Kade.”

Sadie knew that she and Kade were both on the path that God had planned for them.

She glanced upward and there were just two words on her mind.

Thank You.

Reading Group Guide

1. In the beginning of the story, Sadie is convinced that Milo is perfect for her even though she has never met him in person. If Sadie had never met Kade, do you think she would have ended up marrying Milo?

2. Kade travels to Lancaster County to escape his life, but ends up finding more than he ever anticipated.

What are some things that he discovered in Lancaster County? Have you ever traveled somewhere and expected one thing, only to find another? What do you think would have happened to Kade if he had never visited Lancaster County?

3. Twice, Tyler quotes readings from the Bible to both Sadie and Kade. Do you think these are coincidences, or was God trying to reach Sadie and Kade through Tyler? Has there ever been a time when you felt God was trying to reach you through another person?

4. Jonas breaks off his courtship with Lizzie because he feels guilty about Irma Rose. What factors influenced his decision to reconsider and ask Lizzie to marry him?

5. Why do you think Tyler is able to tell Sadie that he loves her early on, but yet he doesn’t tell Kade until the end of the story? Because Sadie is a woman? Or perhaps Kade wasn’t ready to accept his son’s unconditional love early in the story?

6. Kade lost his faith in God when Tyler was diagnosed with autism. Have you ever turned your back on God when you felt He let you down? What made Kade seek to reestablish a relationship with God?

7. The Amish adhere to the rules of the Ordnung, the written and unwritten rules of the Amish; the order by which the Amish are expected to live. Do we, as Christians, have an Ordnung? What are some of the unwritten rules that Christians are expected to live by?

8. Jonas is outspoken, but wise. He tells Kade, “Until you know if you plan to convert yourself to the Amish faith, renounce your worldly ways, and live as one of us by putting your faith in all that is God’s will—then you need not be courtin’ Sadie in any manner.” What if Kade hadn’t taken Jonas’s advice? Would things have turned out differently for Sadie and Kade?

9. The Amish struggle to live a good life and be the best that they can be, but they are human. There are several instances in the story when Amish characters judge others. Can you name some of the scenes where judgment is carried through?

10. When Monica drops Tyler off with Kade, did you sympathize with her situation, or did you feel like she was only being selfish with little regard for Tyler’s well-being? And, do you think Monica would have come back for Tyler if she hadn’t been killed?

11. Kade’s friend, Val, betrayed him, yet Kade chooses to forgive him. Have you ever felt betrayed by someone but chosen to forgive that person based on Sadie’s advice to Kade? “Sometimes when we see past our own pain and into the heart of another, our own self-healing begins.”

12. Kade and Jonas develop an unlikely friendship, which begins when Jonas takes a liking to Tyler. Is this another possibility that God is working through Tyler to unite two people who have something to offer each other? If so, how do Kade and Jonas help each other?

Amish Recipes

Tapioca Pudding

Mix the first three ingredients in a large pot. Heat mixture on stovetop on very low heat for almost an hour. Stir regularly. Make sure the tapioca is completely clear. Then beat eggs well in a separate bowl, until fluffy. Add sugar and salt, and beat until fluffy again. Turn milk mixture to high heat and slowly add egg mixture. Cook until it is almost boiling.
Do not
boil.
Remove from heat and add vanilla to taste.

Zucchini Casserole

Mix everything together and pour into casserole dish and bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Peanut Butter Spread

(always served at the lunch meal following Sunday worship service,
along with the cheese spread on the next page)

Mix together the following:

Cheese Spread

Heat milk, water, and baking soda. Do not boil. Slowly add cheese until melted.

Acknowledgments

I THINK GOD EVERY DAY FOR THIS BLESSING HE HAS bestowed upon me. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share my stories through words that glorify Him.

This journey would be impossible without the support of my husband, Patrick, who is willing to forego dinners, live with a messy house, and put up with me when the deadlines close in on me. I love you so much. And thank you for reading everything I write, as you promised in our wedding vows. (What a guy!)

I also couldn’t do this without the love and support of a very special friend. Barbie Beiler reads each of my books before they go to print, and her Amish background helps me to keep the books authentic. Barbie, I not only appreciate all that you do, but I value our friendship more and more each day.

Another special person gets tons of credit when it comes to my books. To my editor, Natalie Hanemann, you are amazing. I hope that we are on this incredible journey together for a very long time. I can’t imagine anyone else by my side, teaching and encouraging me the way you do, my friend.

My fiction family at Thomas Nelson—you are all so special. I keep a picture of you all above my computer to keep you close in my heart all the time. Thank you for everything that you do.

A special thanks to my agent, Mary Sue Seymour, for being a friend as well as a great agent.

Rene Simpson, it’s an honor to dedicate this book to you. Your work with autistic children is inspiring on many levels, and your hands-on experience helped me immensely during the writing of this book. Your young students are very fortunate to have you in their lives. And I am blessed to have you as one of my best friends.

Renee Bissmeyer, thank you for reading behind me as I wrote
Plain Promise.
You keep me going when the going gets tough! I will always value our life-long friendship.

Special thanks to my sister-in-law, Valarie Spalek, for testing the tapioca pudding recipe, and to my mother-in-law, Pat Mackey, for testing the zucchini recipe. You gals are the best!

To friends and family not mentioned here, please know how much I appreciate all you do to encourage and support my writing. Blessings to you all.

Each Daughters of the Promise novel
focuses on an individual's journey into an
Amish community where they discover new
meaning to the words faith, hope and love.