Branded (The Branded Series) (8 page)

“Chill out.”
Rachel lowered her voice. “I was only teasing. Who knew you’d both take it so
seriously?”

“Well, next time
you want to have a little fun, don’t do it at Anna's expense. Ever!” I turned
and tried to catch up to Anna who was now standing with Monica and Lexie at the
front entrance.

“Jake!” Lexie
called, waving me over. I saw the three of them whispering and giggling as I
approached.

“What’s up,
ladies?” I smiled.

Anna looked
down at her foot, shuffling in the dirt.

“Let’s get
this party started!” Eric shouted as he came out of the main doors to greet us.
He swung his arms around Lexie and Anna. “One key for you and Monica,” Eric
said as he handed Lexie a room key. He handed another key to Anna. “And this
one’s for you and Rachel.” Just as Anna’s fingers touched the key, he pulled it
back. “Unless, of course, you want to stay with me.” He showed his dimple,
which begged my fist to hit it. Noah discreetly pulled my arm back.

“I’m good,”
Anna politely assured him.

“I know, girl.
I know.” Eric laughed and turned to me. “For you and Noah.” He handed me a key
and I forced my friendliest smile.

“Thanks,” I
muttered.

“Well, I don’t
know about you guys, but I am too excited to get on that hill!” Lexie squealed.
“I’m heading straight there now. Anyone in?”

“Count me in,”
Eric said.

“I’ve gotta go
drop my bag first,” I said. “Anna, you coming?” I asked, hoping she’d take the
bait so we could talk alone. Lexie and Monica exchanged an interested look. I
wondered what they knew.

Anna blushed
and lowered her head. “Sure. Yeah, I guess I should go drop my bag first.”

I smiled and
walked past the group with Anna, then leaned down to whisper in her ear, “You
mind if I take your bag now, or are you still playing Miss Independent?”

“Buzz off,
Jake! Ugh! If you weren’t so damn cute.” She shoved her backpack into my
stomach.

We walked into
the resort and stopped to take it all in. The main lodge had recently been
renovated, and it looked completely different.

Anna gasped.
“Look at this place. It's gorgeous!”

Across the big
open room was a massive stone fireplace that reached at least thirty feet from floor
to ceiling. New leather furniture was placed around it, making for a great
place to relax while enjoying the spectacular views of the ski hill through the
wall of windows that framed the fireplace. Two rich, dark wood staircases spiralled
up on either side of the open room and met at the landing above. To the right
was a lounge, complete with a big-screen TV and a bar. To the left was the
reception area.

We slowly
walked up the grand staircase and down the hall to our room. I unlocked the
door and threw our bags onto the bed.

“This isn’t my
room,” Anna said as she let one side of her mouth curl up. She was still
distant and wouldn’t look straight at me.

“I know. Just
hear me out.” I pulled her down to sit next to me on the bed and took her hand
in mine. It felt natural. “Anna, I’m really sorry about Rachel. I don’t know
what her problem is. I think she’s just jealous.”

“Jealous of what?”
she challenged.

I took a deep
breath and went on, “Of the fact that I want to be with you and not her.” It
was a bold move, but I had to say it. Words I never thought I’d say to Anna
Taylor. It had been killing me for the last few days, and finally saying it was
a huge relief.

“You do?” Her
voice was soft and tender. Her eyes were almost pleading.

“I do.” I
leaned down and kissed her softly on her lips for the first time since grade eight
under the old oak tree. “And do you want the same thing?”

And as if
heaven’s angels sang it themselves, she closed her eyes and whispered, “Yes.”

I pulled her
into my chest and wrapped my arms around her perfect body, inhaling her sweet
aroma.

I couldn’t be
sure how much time passed when she finally pulled from my hold and looked up at
me and said, “They’re waiting for us.”

“Let them
wait.” I lifted her chin and kissed her again, gently. She reached up and tangled
her hands into my hair and pressed her lips firmly against mine.

“Uh-hum!” An
annoying voice cleared the romance in the room. We broke apart and turned to
face Noah and Rachel standing in the doorway.

“Oh, hey
guys,” Anna was a little smug. I could tell she enjoyed watching Rachel’s reaction.

“Well, look
who’s the hottest new couple,” Noah laughed as he threw his bag on the bed
beside us.

“Yeah, yeah.
Get out, would ya?” I pushed his bag off the bed. “And this bed is mine, by the
way. You can sleep on the sofa.”

“Arm wrestle
you for it,” Noah challenged.

“Cut it out,”
Rachel warned. “You guys coming?”

“Anna?” I
unzipped my bag and began unpacking its contents. “Did you want to go skiing
now or later? It’s up to you.”

Noah rolled
his eyes so dramatically that the action could almost be heard. Anna giggled,
“Yeah, let’s do it now. It’ll be a fun way to kick-start the weekend. Besides,
everyone is waiting. We can pick up where we left off later.” She winked at me
and the butterflies began playing tag again.

The warm air
whipped at my
face as we raced down the mountain. Noah and Rachel were just ahead, and I
could hear them shouting as they enjoyed cutting each other off. Anna was
trailing close behind me. We had been going all morning, and I was starting to
feel famished. I reached the bottom of the hill and came to a stop beside Noah
and Rachel. I turned, expecting to see Anna right behind me, but she was
nowhere in sight. I surveyed the area, but I couldn’t see her white jacket in
the crowd of other skiers.

“Did you see
Anna?” I asked Noah and Rachel.

“No, I didn’t
see her. Wasn’t she right behind you?” Noah asked.

“I thought
so.”

A minute passed
before Rachel said, “Hmph. I wonder if she wiped out already.”

Her choice of
words alerted me to the fact that she
knew
something.

“Rachel, what
do you know?” My eyes and voice threatened her.

“Well . . . I
sort
of
had a vision that Anna breaks her arm this weekend. She wipes out, we go
to the hospital and she gets a cast. But I didn’t think it would happen so
soon.” She scrunched her eyebrows and tapped her finger to her lip. “I thought
for sure it was going to be tomorrow.”

“Why didn’t
you tell me?” I demanded.

“Because
someone
wanted me to mind my own business and keep my visions to myself.”

Never hit a
girl. Never hit a girl.
“Unbelievable!” I launched myself off with my
poles and pushed myself toward the chairlift, fighting my way to the front of
the line.

 “Jake, where
are you going?” Noah called after me.

“To find her!
You stay here in case she comes down. Call me if you see her!”

“Why don’t you
just call her?” Rachel said.

“She doesn’t
have a cell phone,” I growled.

“Who doesn’t
have a cell phone in grade eleven?” Rachel scoffed.

I heard Noah
shush her, which was enough for me to ignore her comment as I pressed on. I
hopped on the next lift and sat impatiently as we crept to the top of the hill,
keeping my eyes open for Anna.

We finally
reached the top and just as I was pushing off toward the same trail that Anna
and I were on, my cell phone rang. I fumbled for it in my jacket pocket.

“Noah! Do you
see her?”

“Dude, she’s
on her way to the medical clinic here at the lodge. Rachel’s with her.”

“Rachel,” I
muttered under my breath. “And her arm?”

“She’s in
pain. Eric said it’s broken.”

“Eric? Why?” I
pushed off and started racing back down the hill, clutching my poles in one
hand and my phone in the other. I hated being so far away from her when she
needed me. I needed to be by her side.

“Eric saw her
crash and helped her down the hill.”

“Tell her I’ll
be there in a few minutes. I’ll meet you at the clinic.”

We knew the
clinic well. Noah required a visit there last year when he lost control and wrapped
himself around the chairlift post. And I was there earlier this year when I twisted
my knee during a race through the moguls.

The trip down
the hill seemed at least twice as long as it had earlier felt. When I reached
the bottom, I popped off my skis, leaving them near the front steps and ran
around the side of the building to the medical clinic. Noah and Rachel were
waiting outside the door.

“How is she?”
I asked when I caught up.

“She’s fine,
Jake. It’s just a broken arm.” Rachel rolled her eyes in disapproval.

I pushed past
and opened the door. Anna was sitting in a chair against the far wall, holding
her arm. Eric was standing beside her with his hands on her shoulders. I
instantly felt nauseous.

“Jake.” Anna’s
eyes lit up as she tried to stand.

Eric held her
back. “Anna, sit still. You’re in a lot of pain.”

“I’ve got it
from here, Eric, thanks.” I jerked my head toward the door as an invitation for
him to leave. He hesitated but then squeezed Anna’s shoulders and wisely left.

“Anna, I am
so
sorry. I didn’t know you wiped out. I feel awful that I wasn’t there.” I
knelt down in front of her and held her hand.

“Oh, stop it.
It’s not your fault. I was stupid, trying to catch up to you. I should’ve known
better.” She laughed, and then clutched her arm in pain.

I turned to
the nurse and asked, “Is it broken?” even though I already knew it was.

“Looks like
it.” The nurse gently ran her fingers over a large bump on Anna’s forearm.
“I’ve seen enough broken bones in my time to know one when I see one. We’re
going to have to get her off to the hospital once I get this form filled out.”
She held up a clipboard with a page of questions for Anna. Half were already answered
and I finally understood why she was annoyed at my bursting into the room—I was
slowing things up.

“Oh, sorry. Go
ahead, ask away.”

As the nurse
continued with her questions for Anna, I had a thought—I was a healer. I could
heal Anna. Sure, Ms. Peters said I wasn’t yet trained to heal others, but if I
could heal myself, maybe I could heal the one person I cared about most.

I gently laid
my hands on Anna’s forearm as she squirmed in discomfort. Closing my eyes, I tried
to recall the thoughts I was thinking when I had healed my own hand in Ms.
Peters’ office. I imagined her arm in perfect form. I imagined all the bones,
tissues, ligaments and tendons all intact and working normally. I remembered
Anna swimming in the lake last summer. I remembered her climbing the big oak
tree on the island. When my eyes finally opened, the nurse and Anna were both
staring at me. I quickly released my grip on her arm.

“What are you
doing?” Anna asked as she raised her eyebrows and gently rubbed her arm.

 “I’m so sorry.
Did I hurt you?” I stammered as I reached for her arm again. She pulled away.

“Strangely,”
she said as she raised her arm in front of her and twisted it slightly, “it
doesn’t hurt that bad.”

“You shouldn’t
have squeezed her arm,” the nurse scolded.

“Again, I’m
sorry,” I said.

Anna was still
twisting her arm as she peered at it questionably. “Does the bump look smaller
to you?” she asked the nurse.

The nurse
studied Anna’s arm and ran her fingers over it again. “This doesn’t hurt?”

“No,” Anna
confirmed. “In fact, it feels much better, actually.”

“What about
when you squeeze my fingers?” the nurse prompted Anna to tighten her grip.

“Nothing,”
Anna laughed.

“Well, kids, I
don’t know what to tell you. Anna, I don’t think there’s much sense in sending
you to the hospital. Perhaps it’s just a sprain. Take it easy for a little while,
okay? And come back if it starts to hurt again.”

“But you said it
was broken,” I challenged.

“I know. I
thought it was.” The nurse scratched her head. “I don't really understand it,
but she seems fine now. The lump is gone.”

Anna reached
around and grabbed her jacket off the back of the chair. “Well, that’s great
news. Sorry to have wasted your time though.”

“Oh, don’t be
silly. That’s what I’m here for. Now run along and be careful.” The nurse
chuckled as she held the door open for us.

I nodded thanks
and followed Anna through the door.

“We headin’ to
the hospital?” Noah asked as our eyes adjusted to the brightness of the
outdoors. Quite a group had gathered. Word had travelled fast. The girls
crowded around Anna to see if she was okay, while I watched protectively from
behind.