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

Boss Daddy must see something funny in my stricken expression, because his grin widens. “Welcome to the family, son. Not my first choice, but she could’ve done worse.”


He means me. “I…I can’t—” I rein in my whirling thoughts. “I have to talk with Lucy.”


This earns me a laugh. “Ho-oh! So it’s Lucy now, is it?” His eyes twinkle with mirth the same way hers do.


I hurry to correct myself. “No, I mean Miss Lucille. I need to…we can’t…is she here?”


“I reckon she’s upstairs.” When he leans back in his chair, his whole body seems to expand like a frog puffing up. “Go on and wait in the parlor. I’ll send for her. I’m sure you two have a lot to hammer out before September.”


The wedding.God. We have a lot to talk about, true, and one of the first things we need to get straight is the fact that there isn’t going to be a wedding at all—late summer, early fall, or otherwise!


Chapter 28