All Men Fear Me by Donis Casey Read Free Book Online Page B

around the Tucker farm, fleas were still a possibility. But the floor was scrubbed raw and the room smelled vaguely of lye water. If he knew his fastidious sister, vermin steered clear of her domain in fear of their lives. The handmade horsehair mattresses looked new, tufted to hold the filling in place and the edges hand-stitched together. A painted wooden table with two chairs graced the center of the room. A washstand with a pitcher and chipped basin, small chest of drawers, and a Franklin stove in one corner completed the furnishings. There was one window on the back wall, wide open because of the heat. For privacy Alafair had strung curtains made from two worn calico aprons on a leather strap.
    â€œYour ma has fixed this place up nice,” he observed to Gee Dub.
    Gee Dub cast a critical glance around. “It’s home, for the moment at least. Dad made this room up a few years ago so there’d be a place for hired hands to stay, if they needed to. Right now everybody who works for him has his own bunk somewhere else. Handy for me.” He gestured toward the table. “Fling your rucksack yonder, Uncle Robin. There are a couple of hooks on the wall there if you want to hang anything up.”
    Rob made up the spare bed, stripped down to his skivvies, and slid between the quilt and the sheets that Alafair had given him. The pillow was filled with goose feathers and the pillowcase and sheet smelled of herbs. He nearly wept at the luxury of it all.

Chapter Eleven
    â€œFood Gamblers Raise Price of Canned Goods”
    â€” Chicago Tribune , April 1917
    As soon as the men left for the fields after breakfast, Alafair hitched up her gragoy mare, Missy, to the buggy and sat Grace beside her for a trip into town to run errands. On the way she stopped by her daughter Mary’s house long enough tickle baby Judy and ask Mary to a family supper tonight. Alafair’s seven-year-old nephew Chase Kemp begged to come to town with them. Grace and Chase Kemp were a handful when they were together, but Grace whined for her adored older cousin to be allowed to come, so Alafair loaded him into the backseat and off they went.
    Aram Khouri, the proprietor of Khouri’s Market, was a compact, dark-haired man of about forty, friendly and kind, with large, moist black eyes that reminded Alafair of her son-in-law John Lee’s. Mr. Khouri had an equally attractive wife named Ana and three young children, as well as a fat, garrulous, child-friendly father who lived with them. The Khouris were recent additions to Boynton’s fast-growing population, having only lived in town for a couple of years. Alafair had no idea where they were from originally, only that they had bought the market from Mr. Haddad when he retired. They resided in a large apartment above the store, and the whole family, from the seventy-year-old grandfather to the six-year-old baby of the family, pitched in at the market to clean, stock, and wait on customers.
    It was Aram himself who was behind the counter today, and he broke into a beaming grin when he recognized Alafair Tucker, her pert little daughter Grace, and her nephew Chase Kemp.
    â€œHello, Miz Tucker, hello. Why, you’re looking pretty, Grace. And Chase! How you’ve grown since last week! What can I do for you today, Miz Tucker? Don’t get to see you so much since the food rules went into effect. I swear, even the townfolks are growing their own vegetables and meat these days.”
    Chase tugged on his aunt’s skirt before she could reply. “Can I go outside?”
    â€œAll right, but don’t wander off. Stay where I can see you.”
    Chase sped off and Grace tried to follow, but Alafair caught her by the collar and lifted the giggling little girl into her arms. Leaving Grace below eye-level was an invitation for her to get into mischief. “Have the new food rules hurt your business, Mr. Khouri?”
    â€œIt’s different, Miz Tucker. I buy