Bittersweet Creek — Sally Kilpatrick

From the author of The Happy Hour Choir comes a Romeo and Juliet story with Southern flair--witty, warm, and as complex and heart-wrenching as only love and family can be.

For a century and a half, the Satterfield and McElroy farms have been separated by a narrow creek and a whole lot of bad blood. Both sides have done their share of damage. But the very worst crime either family can commit is to fall in love with the enemy. As teenagers, Romy Satterfield and Julian McElroy did exactly that. Then, on the night they were secretly married by a justice of the peace, Julian stood Romy up.

Ten years later, Romy is poised to marry the scion of one of Nashville's most powerful families. First she has to return home to Ellery to help her injured father--and to finalize her divorce. For Julian, seeing Romy again brings into relief the secrets he's kept and the poison that ran through his childhood. Romy has missed the farm and the unpretentious, downright nosy townsfolk. In spite of her efforts, she's also missed Julian. But though she suspects there's more to that long-ago night than Julian ever revealed, the truth will either drive her away for good, or reveal what is truly worth fighting for. . .