1. The Resident

“I don’t care where or how you’re gonna do it, John! Find someone!”

The furious voice cut right through the silence of the lobby where Spirit Browne was seated with her messenger bag strapped to her shoulder.

It was her first official day at Voss Memorial Hospital as a licensed Registered Nurse resident. She was supposed to be waiting for her Medical-Surgical clinical preceptor, but the fuming woman behind the desk caught her attention.

Her name tag read Katherine Hayes, Nursing Director.

“Three private agency nurses walked out this morning because they refused to deal with them,” Katherine hissed into her desk phone, her sharp eyes scanning a stack of documents.

“The Chairman is threatening to fire the entire administrative board if we don’t have a nurse at the estate in thirty minutes. Just pull a float nurse! I’ll cover the liability!”

A pause. Katherine closed her eyes, rubbing her temples.

“No one wants the shift? Even with a five-thousand-dollar emergency bonus? Damn it.”

She slammed the receiver down.

Five thousand dollars. The number echoed in Spirit’s head, instantly triggering a mental calculation.

A massive chunk knocked off her student loans. Groceries for her and her ten-year-old brother, Liam, that didn’t come from a dollar store box.

At twenty-four, carrying the weight of her family since their parents died five years ago, every extra dollar mattered.

She took a breath, adjusted her posture, and stepped forward.

“Excuse me, Director Hayes?”

Katherine looked up, raising her brows sharply. She took in Spirit’s petite frame, her navy scrubs, and the Nurse Resident patch freshly pinned to her sleeve.

“If you’re looking for the general residency orientation, it’s down the hall in Conference Room B.”

“I’m assigned to Med-Surg Floor 4, but we’re just doing paperwork today,” Spirit said, keeping her voice completely calm.

“I overheard your problem. I’ll take the off-site assignment.”

Katherine let out a little laugh.

“You’re a first-day resident. You haven’t even finished hospital orientation. Sending you to a private estate is an HR nightmare and a massive protocol violation.”

“You just said no one else will take it,” Spirit countered, stepping closer to the desk.

“Technically, my clinical hours haven’t started, so my schedule is clear. If your agency nurses quit, you don’t need a specialist right now—you need someone licensed who can follow orders and handle a chaotic environment. I grew up managing a chaotic household. I can handle it.”

Katherine stared at her. It wasn’t a look of suspicion; it was the gaze of an administrator weighing a massive risk against total career ruin.

“The patients are the hospital Chairman’s grandsons. Triplets,” Katherine said.

“They are… exceptionally difficult. It’s three days of continuous private care at the Voss estate.”

“Five-thousand-dollar bonus, plus my base pay?” Spirit asked, her fingers twitching against her bag.

“Yes. But it comes with a condition.” Katherine slid two documents across the counter.

“An expedited off-site transfer form and a bulletproof corporate Non-Disclosure Agreement. If a single word about the Voss family’s medical status, their home, or their personal lives leaves your mouth, Voss Memorial will strip your license and sue you into bankruptcy. Sign it, or go back to your orientation.”

Desperately in need of the money, Spirit didn’t hesitate or bother asking questions.

How hard could taking care of three little boys be?

They can’t be as troublesome as six-year-old Liam.

She grabbed the pen and signed her name quickly. Spirit Browne, RN.

Katherine picked up the desk phone, her eyes never leaving Spirit’s face.

“Initiate the Voss Protocol. Front lobby. Immediate priority transport to the residence.”

Voss Protocol. Spirit filed that away. It probably meant emergencies related to the Voss family or something similar.

“Don’t worry about your time sheet. You’ll be marked as on assignment here, so no attendance issues.”

Katherine slid a medical kit and a little card across the counter.

“There is a full crash cart and pharmacy backup on-site. If something goes medically sideways, you page me immediately. Do not try to be a hero, Nurse Browne. Good luck.”

“Understood.” Spirit nodded, taking the card that had Katherine’s name and contact information on it. She slipped it into her pocket and grabbed the kit.

The Atlanta August heat hit her like a blow as she pushed through the hospital’s revolving doors. Waiting at the curb was a black SUV.

The driver, wearing formal hospital transport whites, stepped out and opened the rear door without saying a word.

The forty-minute drive passed quickly. When the SUV finally slowed, Spirit leaned forward.

Big iron gates flanked by pillars and security cameras parted, recognizing the vehicle’s transponder.

The estate was a sprawling white mansion patrolled by private security guards in black uniforms.

The SUV stopped at the front entrance.

“Good luck,” the driver muttered, the first words he’d spoken the entire trip.

“Thank you.” Spirit smiled as she grabbed her bag and the medical kit.

The driver gave a curt nod, then immediately put the car in reverse and drove off without another word.

Spirit took a deep breath, walked up the tiled steps, and knocked gently on the front door.

The door swung open almost immediately.

A tall, completely shirtless man filled the doorway. He sported a low taper fade, a dangerous jawline, and striking blue eyes that immediately locked onto hers.

He looked thoroughly irritated, his brooding expression radiating pure arrogance. It was impossible to ignore the perfectly sculpted muscles and defined abs of a man who clearly got whatever he wanted.

Spirit swallowed hard, her professional spirit faltering a little. She blinked, forcing her eyes past his shoulder into the foyer.

Inside the mansion were two more men, both identical to the one standing in front of her. Same towering height, same athletic build, and the exact same breathtaking face.

One was lounging carelessly on a white sofa. Another was leaning against a staircase, scrolling through his phone.

Her breath caught.

Triplets.

Are these the triplets, or is this the wrong address? She wondered.

Her gaze darted back to the door, and the gold Voss Memorial Hospital logo on the glass panel confirmed she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Of course it is, she thought, panic rising in her chest.

Katherine had mentioned triplets. She just hadn’t mentioned they were this “grown.”

Why didn’t I read through that consent form properly? Why didn’t I ask any questions? I just assumed…

Foolishly, she had equated the word “grandsons” with small children. She figured the chairman’s family was just plagued by a few spoiled toddlers, hence why no one wanted the assignment.

But standing there now, the terrifying truth hit her.

Toddlers she could handle, but a trio of shirtless, demigod-looking triplets was an entirely different story: one she was utterly unprepared for.

Panic tightened its grip around her chest, squeezing her heart so fiercely she felt lightheaded.

The shirtless man in the doorway tilted his head, his striking blue eyes narrowing as he took her in.

“Are you lost?” His deep voice sliced through her spiraling panic.

Spirit swallowed hard, her throat instantly parched.

She shook her head.

I wish, she whispered in the privacy of her own mind, desperately trying to ignore the amount of bare skin in front of her.

Steeling her nerves, she squared her shoulders and met his judging stare.

“I’m the nurse in charge of taking care of the chairman’s grandsons,” she announced, trying to sound professional.

“For the next three days.”

His eyes tracked slowly down her uniform, his facial expression settling into a look of pure arrogance.

“Is that so?” he muttered, leaning close enough for her to feel the warmth radiating off his skin.

“Then do us both a favor. Go back and tell my grandfather he wasted his money. We don’t need a babysitter.”