Once the daughter of a prominent dentist in Philadelphia, Natalie Allen wasn’t happy with the life she was expected to lead, so she left society behind and headed west. Now, in the little town of Junction, she’s known as Nat, a cowboy working on Boss Daddy’s cattle ranch. She keeps to herself, renting a room in a local boarding house instead of staying in the bunk house, and with her dungarees and short hair, no one realizes she’s living as a man. But Boss Daddy’s pretty daughter Miss Lucille takes a notice to “Mr. Nat,” and the closer the two become, the more conflicted Nat grows. She likes Miss Lucille a lot more than she knows she should, and it’s easy to forget who she’s pretending to be around the boss’s daughter. Then Miss Lucille surprises everyone, Nat included, by announcing their engagement. Nat knows they can’t marry, and if she tells Miss Lucille why, her ruse will be up. Her only choice is to leave Junction behind, even if it means breaking Miss Lucille’s heart. But will Miss Lucille let Nat go so easily?

The Boss's Daughter

As if she knows I’m thinking of her, Miss Lucille comes closer, trapping me against the wall. “So, is it a yes?” she asks.


“Well,” I hedge, “I don’t want to put anyone out…”


Her smile widens. “Then it isa yes! Oh, I’ll tell Nana to fix another plate.”


I try to back out of it. “I don’t want to be a bother—”


But Miss Lucille shakes her head. “Hush. It’s no bother. I’ll enjoy the company. We won’t really be able to talk much, you know. We won’t be alone. But tomorrow…”


She lets that thought drift off as she heads back out into the hall. She’s right, actually. Tonight won’t be an intimate meal; there will be too many people around. All I have to do is keep my head down and remember my manners, and no one will even talk about me once I head back to the boarding house.


But tomorrow it will be just the two of us. And that terrifies the hell out of me. 14


Chapter 16