Beyond All Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page A

to master his temper was his salvation in a world of chaos and brutality. Tomorrow wouldn’t be the first time he’d gone to school with a black eye and a swollen lip, but he’d walk in with his head held high and dare anyone to ask why he’d taken a beating.
    Luke pushed the memories away. His father was long dead, and reliving old memories was a pointless waste of time. He gave a sad smile as Philip wolfed down the remaining slices of bacon with relish. Luke had abandoned his dream of becoming a great poet long ago, but he still hated the scent of bacon.
    â€œFinish quickly,” he said. “Your mother will be waiting for us to call.”

    The telephone office was tucked into a corner of the immense mail room in the Capitol’s basement. Maybe someday the Capitol would have telephone service with more privacy, but for now, anyone wishing to make use of the telephone needed to place their call alongside the hundreds of clerks who sat at long, narrow tables as they sorted bags of mail sent from all over the country.
    â€œLet me speak with your mother first, then you can have the line,” Luke told Philip as they walked toward the switchboard.
    He loathed telephones, which he saw as annoying and soulless machines. Talking to someone you couldn’t see was awkward and impersonal, whereas letters gave him the luxury of choosing the perfect phrase to communicate exactly how he felt.
    The switchboard operator patched the final connection and gestured Luke over. He pressed the polished wood receiver to his ear and grasped the mouthpiece close to his lips. “Julia?”
    â€œYes, I’m here.” Even from seven hundred miles away, the anxiety was plain in her voice.
    â€œTell me what happened.”
    Luke closed his eyes, bracing himself for the news. Apparently, Jason’s debts had gotten so great that his creditors tried to seize two of his prized horses. He put up a fuss, and deputies were called, something that further riled Jason, who managed to land a solid right hook on the jaw of a Bangor deputy. And it would cost four hundred dollars to get Jason released from jail.
    â€œIs there anything you can do?” Julia pleaded.
    â€œNo.”
    He wasn’t going to pay this time. If giving money could solveJason’s problem, Luke would gladly take out his wallet. Four hundred, four thousand, whatever it took. But money couldn’t cure Jason; it would only add more fuel to the fire destroying his brother’s life.
    â€œPlease, Luke, if you could have seen him. His right eye is swollen shut, and he’s so ashamed of what he did. He started crying when he saw me. I think he may be ready to change this time.”
    Luke flinched at the image, but he couldn’t be soft about this. Jason had always been the kindest of them all. He rescued injured birds and set the fish he caught free. He was gentle and loving, except for when he drank. Then he turned into their father.
    â€œLet him change from inside a jail cell.” It hurt to say it, but jail might be the only way for Jason to get thoroughly dried out. The biggest mystery was how both Jason and Julia could have turned to drinking after witnessing what it did to their father. Gabriel drank too, yet never to excess. While Luke was revolted by the smell of rum, Jason and Julia were captivated by it. It was one of the reasons she couldn’t be trusted to raise Philip.
    â€œWhere’s Gabriel?” Luke asked.
    â€œHe finished building that racing skiff and is trying to sail it to Canada. I’ve sent men out looking for him, but it will be days before he gets back, and even then . . .”
    Julia didn’t need to finish her sentence. Gabe had the raw talent to be an architect, a shipbuilder, or anything else he wanted, but he craved the life of a gypsy. Even if he could be found and hauled back to Bangor, Gabe wouldn’t be much help taming the dragon that was destroying their