Plain Promise Read Online Free PDF Page B

o’clock.”
    Sadie prepared to defend her schedule, but he waved his hand as if to say never mind.
    “I forget you people go to bed early and get up early.”
    You people? She pierced her lips together and narrowed her eyes at him.
    “Sorry,” he said when he saw her expression.
    Sadie took two steps forward. “Mr. Saunders, what do you need?”
    He sighed. “That phone in the barn is ringing nonstop, followed by the sound of an answering machine picking up. The barn is so close to the cottage, and, well . . . it’s irritating me. Why don’t you have the phone in the house?”
    “The phone is ringing?” Sadie couldn’t imagine who it might be. Milo? But on a Saturday?
    “Yes. It’s ringing over and over again. I walked outside to take the darn thing off the hook, but the answering machine had just picked up again. I decided I better come get you when I heard the message.”
    Sadie’s heart flipped in her chest. “What was the message?” Occasionally, Milo left tender messages on the machine. She hoped this wasn’t one of those times. A flush was building in her cheeks.
    “She said her name was Lillian and that it was an emergency. She said for you to come quickly if you got the message.” He paused. “And here’s the part that really caught my attention . . .” Kade shook his head, a perplexed look on his face. “She said she needed my car.”
    “What?” Sadie turned and moved toward the door.
    “Why would someone named Lillian need my car?” He was hovering right behind her.
    Sadie tied the kerchief in a bulky knot under her chin, pulled her boots on, and swung her cape over her robe. Then she bolted out the door.
    “Be careful! It’s slippery out there!” he yelled as he followed her.
    It was snowing again, and the bitterly cold wind blew through her cape as she hurried across the white powder. Lillian would never call this late. And she said it was an emergency. If she needs a car, something is terribly wrong.
    When Sadie got to the barn, she was numb from head to toe. Her hand was shaking when she reached for the answering machine—another luxury that was unheard-of years ago. She pushed the button.
    “Sadie, it’s Lillian . . .”
    Sadie could hear the Mr. Saunders coming up behind her in the barn. “What is it?” He paused, sounding out of breath. “Who is Jonas?”
    She gripped her hands together, drew them to her chest, and took a deep breath as she listened to the rest of Lillian’s message.
    “Oh, no,” she said, fighting tears.

3
    KADE REMEMBERED HIS COAT AND GLOVES THIS TIME. He carefully backed the car out of the barn and wondered how in the heck he was going to drive in this weather. He was from L.A., for crying out loud.
    Sadie waited on the front porch, bundled up like a snow bunny. The last thing he felt like doing was driving around, particularly in these elements, to find a lost old man. Not because he was a cold, heartless kind of guy, but because he’d been this route before. And the end result hadn’t been good. Kade thought back to when his mother first told him about his father’s Alzheimer’s disease. Dad was such a young man at the time too. Not much older than Kade. According to the doctors, early onset of the illness accounts for 5 to 10 percent of those diagnosed, and his father fell into that unlucky percentage. Kade feared losing his mind more than anything else. And it seemed to run in his genes.
    Oh man, oh man . The car slid sideways when he tried to turn the Mercedes around. Pulling forward, the tires spun in the snow. He glanced up at the porch and saw Sadie, who appeared irritated at his efforts. Did she want to give it a try? You don’t even know how to drive, and I’m doing the best I can.
    Finally the car inched ahead. When he stopped, she was already down the porch steps. She opened the back door and slid into the seat.
    “What are you doing? Do you think maybe you should sit in the front seat and help me navigate?” She gave him a