Beyond All Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page B

problems.
    â€œHello, Miss O’Brien,” a voice said from the far side of the map room.
    Anna was so startled she dropped the cards. The last thing she expected to see was a man casually sitting in her chair, his booted feet propped on her desk.
    It was that obnoxious congressman from yesterday. With sunlight flooding in from the window, his hair looked more gold than brown. She blushed furiously and reached down to collect the scattered cards.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” It didn’t sit well to have hersanctuary invaded this way, and she hid her unease by shuffling the cards back into order.
    â€œThe clerk at the front of the library let me in.”
    He was breaking the rules by asking for the map room to be opened early, but it was hard to decline requests from members of Congress. She replaced the cards in the box and forced a polite smile.
    â€œWhat can I do for you, sir? If you need the maps of the oyster beds, I’ll be happy to bring them to you.”
    He simply stared at her, the oddest expression on his face as he rose from behind her desk and sauntered toward her.
    â€œYou have a very unusual voice,” he said. “It reminds me of . . . well, I’m not sure what it reminds me of. I’ve never heard a voice like yours. Keep talking. I want to hear more.”
    Every muscle stiffened. “Which maps do you need, sir?”
    She spoke as few words as possible. It was petty, but she didn’t want to feed his morbid curiosity for how an esophagus with third-degree burns sounded. The day her throat was burned was the most awful memory of her life, and she tried never to dwell on it. Even so, Mr. Callahan cocked his ear and closed his eyes in a great show of studying her speech.
    â€œYou could go on the stage with a voice like that. Rich and throaty, like woodsmoke on a chilly autumn day. All the mysteries of Eve and Guinevere and Venus in one magnificent voice.”
    Her voice sounded like gravel. She turned her back on him and stalked to the case holding estuary maps, kneeling down beside a drawer a few inches from the floor. The drawer clattered on metal wheels as she pulled it open, jerking out charts of New England oyster beds. He wandered across the room until he was standing above her.
    â€œApparently I’ve said something to offend you, and that wasn’t my intention.”
    Maybe she was a little thin-skinned. She did have a peculiar voice, and perhaps she shouldn’t take offense just because he’d commented on it. Then again, the last time she saw him, he’d summoned her by snapping his fingers. Maybe peasants in Maine came to heel at such a gesture, but she didn’t appreciate it. She stood and set the charts on the broad surface of the map case.
    â€œI think these are the maps you need.” What was he doing in here? Usually members of Congress submitted requests on note cards at the front desk, and then they were given to the appropriate librarian. But he obviously felt entitled to bypass the system.
    He made no move to touch the maps. “The committee needs a written report on the delineation of offshore oysters, mussels, and clams inhabiting brackish waters. As the junior member of the committee, that happy task has fallen to me.”
    â€œAh.” She tried to hide the guilty pleasure at seeing him assigned to such a menial chore.
    â€œI’m delegating it to you.”
    â€œNo you’re not.”
    His brows rose in surprise. “What exactly is your role if not to perform research for members of Congress?”
    Honestly, the arrogance. She maintained a calm expression while she enlightened him about the realities of life. “Sir, although you may consider yourself to be the blazing center of the universe, for me you are merely one of over four hundred people I serve. We have limited time for research requests during the move to the new library.”
    â€œYou mean that monstrosity next