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

“The pleasure was all mine.” I feel like we’ve grown a little closer since this morning. I feel more like her friend and not just someone who works for her father. But who I am keeps us apart. The clothes I wear prohibit any real closeness, and it saddens me a little to think that, if I had arrived in Junction wearing the dress I left Philadelphia in, Miss Lucille and I may have become the best of friends. We would be ensconced in her drawing room, perhaps, sipping on tea and enjoying the latest gossip, or up to our elbows in flour in the kitchen as Nana taught us how to bake the perfect biscuit. Or laying across Miss Lucille’s four-poster bed, our arms around each other, sharing secrets and giggles.


Chapter 24