Dear Soldier, Put Your Gun Down novel Chapter 1

Bombs were going off non-stop in the warzone that even people at the field hospital could feel the earth shuddering. Winona Winston was stitching a wound on an injured soldier. Her hair was clung to her scalp as she was drenched in a mixture of blood and sweat. Hardly anyone could recognize her to be the eldest daughter of Christopher Winston, the city mayor, as her exquisite beauty was obscured by her disheveled appearance.

The scruffy surroundings and the scorching hot weather did not bother her. As a doctor, she was obligated to take care of her patients no matter how horrid the environment was. Moreover, she needed to step up and show her dedication given that she was the leader of the clinical team of Country C.

Clank! Someone kicked the door to the derelict room open all of the sudden. An injured soldier whose blood was flowing profusely from his head was carried inside on a stretcher by five other soldiers. The leader of the group was a good-looking, long-legged man who exuded an icy aura. “Who’s the boss here?”

Winona answered him in a level voice, “It’s me.”

The man marched over at strides and aimed his gun at her head. “Rescue him now or I’ll shoot you and the nurses to death immediately!” he threatened.

Unfazed by his threat, Winona looked straight into his eyes. “How am I going to perform a surgery when you’re pointing a gun at my head?”

Matt Snider froze when he saw the familiar features on Winona’s face. In a crisp movement, he withdrew the gun.

“Scram!” Winona snapped frostily.

The other soldiers looked deeply rattled when they heard her harsh tone. Considering that no one had ever spoken to Matt that way, they were very sure Winona was doomed.

Surprisingly, Matt softened his attitude and responded with a faint smile, “Fine.”

Then, he left the hospital together with his subordinates.

After they were gone, Winona immediately instructed her assistant to move the injured soldier to the operating table. “Get me the forceps and a few bags of blood right now!”

“Dr. Winona, the pulse of the patient is very weak! I can’t feel his breathing!”

Without hesitation, Winona performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the injured soldier.

Some distance away from the field hospital, Matt narrowed his eyes to observe the woman who just yelled at him minutes ago. She was tirelessly doing chest compressions on the injured soldier at the moment. To his amazement, she did not even flinch when her hands, her face, and her white coat were stained by the soldier’s blood, and her movements were deft and quick. The surgery room was her stage, and she owned it.

The surgery was finally completed at midnight that day, and the injured soldier was sent back to Country C. Seeing that, Winona heaved out a long sigh of relief. Wearily, she slouched out of the surgery room and went to wash her hands.

Suddenly, someone handed her a clean towel. She stopped herself from blurting out “thanks” just in time when she saw the man who offered her the kind gesture. Honestly speaking, the man did not leave a favorable impression on her. Winona deemed him to be a rude, domineering, and imposing man…

He lit up a cigar and released a mouthful of smoke at her. “My name is Matt Snider. I’d be glad if you could keep my name in mind,” he introduced himself.

He was Matt Snider, a man who was famous for his legendary military achievements.

Matt had made his luck ever since he joined the army at the age of twelve. His talents caught the eye of his superiors when he was sixteen, and he was appointed as the captain of his platoon when he hit twenty. Now, he was twenty-seven and had made it as the general of the army. Winona heard from the grapevine that he had never lost a single battle he was involved in. He was ruthless to everyone, including himself and even his father. In Winona’s opinion, it was unwise to associate herself with a man like him.

The smoke of the cigar irritated her airway and consequently, she started coughing. Matt found her even more adorable when her face flushed. Feeling annoyed, Winona tossed the used towel back at Matt and strode off. When he clasped her wrist as she walked past him, she reached for the scalpel in the pocket of her coat out of instinct. She was ready to fight him to the death if he decided to molest her.

“Thanks for rescuing my man,” he said.

“Mr. Snider, you don’t have to thank me at all. Saving his life is part of my job.”

Matt singlehandedly pinned both of her hands to her back to keep her still. Then, he edged closer to her and whispered to her, “It’s been a long while.”

Winona went stupefied when she heard that. For some reason, Matt’s face looked familiar to her, but she could not remember anything about him.

Just then, the rest of the clinical team made their way over.

Matt quickly loosened his grip on her hands. When Winona, who was caught off guard, stumbled backward, he twined an arm around her waist to help her stay on a stable footing. She tried to knee him in between his legs to force him to move away, but her leg was trapped in between his. In the stalemate, Matt reached for her lips and touched them flirtatiously. The soft and smooth texture of her lips gave him a pressing urge to kiss her.

In response to her baleful glance, he flashed her a roguish smile. “I’ll see you again soon,” he muttered before letting her go.