Jonas Jones: Laine's Beech Mountain Story, Book 4

Excerpt from a portion of Chapter One that got edited out:
Jonas has changed from the man I married and I don't know what I'm going to do about it. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out what to do. What makes a good man change into a troubled one? How in this world am I going to help him change back? I'm more alone with him here than I was when he was gone off to the war.

Excerpt for the end of Chapter 12:
“That’s the truth. Son, how are you and Laine getting along?”
“Fine.”
“Are you sure? I’ve heard talk.”
“Talk?” Jonas scorned. “How could there be talk? Besides, since when do you believe vicious gossip?”
“When there’s some truth to it,” Pete told him calmly. “It’s easy to tell you’ve not been yourself since you came home. It’s a fact that war does bad things to a man, life altering things.”
“I’m glad you told me or I might not have known.”
“Don’t get smart-mouthed, son. You know I only have your best interest at heart.”
“Leave Laine out of it. She’s my problem.”
Problem? Jonas saw me as his problem? His problem!
“You’re lucky to have her,” Pete added.
“So I’ve been told, and only by men,” he said again. It was easy to tell Jonas wasn’t liking what Pete was saying about me.
Pete didn’t accuse him of being jealous this time. “Daren looks exactly like you,” he said instead.
“I know.”
“You can’t deny that boy.”
“I’ve never tried to deny him.”
“Yet, you were gone when he came about.”
“No Dad, not gone – only AWOL for a few hours.”
“So, that’s how he happened?”
“Right.”
“Laine never said a word, even when the gossip turned bad. Her own mother accused her of being a tramp.”
How was there gossip? How did Pete know about Daren? Even Momma had to know if she called me a tramp – but maybe not.
“That shouldn’t have surprised anyone.”
“Doubt it did.”
“What else did you come here to find out about?” Jonas asked him outright.
“Like I said, I came to see my grandchildren. I also came to make sure my only son was doing all right. Sometimes a man needs somebody to confide in, even if it’s only his dad. I don’t want you festering up from self-pity until you lose the best things in life a man can have. To allow that to happen would be plain stupid.”