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

Or maybe my impending nuptials are the reason she keeps her distance. I catch her eyeing me a few times, but whenever I smile her way, she’s suddenly interested in her sweeping again.


After dinner, I stroll down the boardwalk to the far end of the street, hands in my pockets, my pace leisurely. The night has settled in around the town, a smattering of stars overhead barely illuminating my path. When the boards end, I cross the dirt road to Miss Barbour’s. No one waits for me on the porch this evening, and my footsteps are heavy thuds as I take the steps slowly. In my mind, I’m trying to picture me on tomorrow’s train, but I just can’t do it. This time tomorrow, where will I be?


I hear her voice as soon as I step into the foyer. “You haven’t seen him all day?”


Chapter 34