Burning Springs — T.L. Haddix

“Sometimes life throws things at us we don't expect. Often, really. And when that happens, sometimes the course we set for ourselves isn't the road we end up on.”

Molly Campbell never expected to find herself working as a waitress in a diner in the middle of small-town Tennessee. She certainly never anticipated that she would develop feelings for one of the diner's patrons, never mind that she would find herself homeless and having to rely on his kindness for shelter. But that's where she ended up, struggling to reconcile reality with her hopes and dreams in order to come to terms with both.

Jonah Sutton doesn't trust the redheaded Kentucky girl his aunt hired to help out in the diner. Convinced she's hiding something, he vows to stick close so he can keep an eye on Molly. It doesn't take long for his suspicion to turn to intrigue, and when a crisis hits close to home, he's more than happy to step up and offer her his support. He never imagined his toughest battle would be figuring out a way to convince her to stay in Burning Springs and build a life with him.

Burning Springs is the thirteenth book in the Firefly Hollow series, women's fiction romances set in Appalachia that follow the Campbell family through generations. It contains paranormal elements of traditional Appalachian folklore.