Page 59 of The Bachelor's Dilemma

She shook her head, facing forward. The school was in sight. One of the other parents waved, and Anna tried to smile as she waved back.

She wanted to cry instead.

Myles wasn’t sure what to make of Anna’s statement. He admitted to himself he wanted her to give him some sign of her feelings for him. Should he suggest staying? Or wait for her to suggest that?

What if she didn’t?

He nodded at the other parents as they filed into the old building. The men he’d worked with yesterday greeted him. It felt good to be part of a community effort. He’d friends at the work sites, but no one with a normal home life. These men had routine jobs, went home to their families each evening, and were working to better circumstances for their children.

“We were thinking of getting together after today’s work to celebrate one weekend down,” Brad Singleton said as he and Myles started on replacing the last of the drywall in one classroom. “Join us?”

“Sounds like fun. I’ll have to check with Anna.”

“Yeah, babysitters can be a pain. If yours can’t stay, bring the kid.”

“You bringing yours?”

“We have Betsy’s niece staying with us this weekend to watch the rug rats. We’ll take her to school in the morning and she’ll go home from there, so no worries on our end.”

“Lucky.”

Myles reached for his hammer and pounded nails. The conversation was totally normal and ordinary, yet for him it was extraordinary.

If he stayed, if he could build a life with Anna, he’d have many encounters like this. Be part of a community that pulled together when things needed doing.

He and Brad talked as they worked and before four, they had finished the second classroom’s walls.

“Time for mud and then the walls can be painted,” he said.

“Jason is the expert on mudding. I hope he can get to it next weekend,” Brad said.

“Good, because that’s one area I don’t have any experience in,” Myles replied.

“But you seem expert in every other aspect.”

He grinned.

“I worked construction through college, and have been on job sites ever since.”

“Building a bridge isn’t exactly the same thing as repairing a preschool,” Brad said.

“We sometimes have to build our own homes while we are on a job site, so I can handle a smattering of plumbing, wiring and drywall.”

“Man, you’ve really lived an exciting life.”

Myles shrugged.

“It was what I wanted. Now things have changed.”

“Anna?” Brad asked as they walked over to Mrs. Hampton’s office for the next assignment.

Myles hesitated a minute, glancing at Brad. The question caused him to clarify his feelings. The entire reason he was thinking of changing his lifestyle was because of Anna.

The thought kicked him in the gut. He’d been stunned when he received the letter about his son, but had convinced himself once he knew the boy was well cared for, he’d move on and let him have the love and security of his adoptive parents.

Meeting Anna had changed all that. For the first time since he was a kid he thought about family ties, facing the world united as a couple, leaving his nomadic ways and becoming a man who put down roots and made a difference in a community.

If Anna was there.

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