Flashpoint, p.1
Flashpoint, page 1
part #8 of Commitment Series
Flashpoint
Book Eight
of
The Commitment Series
A BADGER BLISS BOOK
By
Karen D. Badger
DEDICATION
Although this book was penned several years ago, it is coincidently being released in November-December of 2018, at a time when wildfires are running rampant across Northern California. Countless people have fallen victim in their wake. Many have lost possessions, livelihoods, and in some tragic cases, loved ones.
Wildfires are nothing new to California. They have historically cost the state more than $800 million dollars a year, however, the more global warming pollution that is emitted into the atmosphere, the more wildfires we can expect to see in California. If the average temperatures continue rise by as little as 5.5 degrees to 8 degrees F, by mid-century, the risk of wildfires in California is expected to increased by 20%...and by the end of the century, that increase is expected to approach 50%.
I dedicate this book to the victims of wildfires everywhere, to the dedicated scientists and environmental activists who strive to understand and to inhibit the growth of global warming trends across the world, and to the smoke-jumpers and hotshots who risk their lives on a daily basis to minimize the consumption of lives and land by fire. Don't ever stop trying...and don't ever stop caring. The world needs you.
ALSO WRITTEN BY KAREN D. BADGER
AND
AVAILABLE FROM BADGER BLISS BOOKS:
ON A WING AND A PRAYER
YESTERDAY ONCE MORE
THE BLUE FEATHER
ALL MY TOMORROWS
1140 RUE ROYALE
The Billie/Cat Commitment Series:
IN A FAMILY WAY
UNCHAINED MEMORIES
HAPPY CAMPERS
COLLECTIVE IDENTITY
SWEET ANGEL
RELATIVE-LY SPEAKING
TAILSPIN
FLASHPOINT
www.badgerblissbooks.com
This is a work of fiction. All characters, locales, and events are either
products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
FLASHPOINT
Copyright © 2018 by Karen D. Badger
www.karendbadger.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher,
save for brief quotations used in critical articles or reviews.
Cover design by Karen D. Badger
A Badger Bliss Book
Published by Badger Bliss Books
Georgia, VT 05468
www.badgerblissbooks.com
Print-Book ISBN 13: 978-1-945761249
Print-Book ISBN 10: 1-945761-24-5
E-Book ISBN 13: 978-1-945761256
E-Book ISBN 10: 1-945761-25-3
First Edition, December, 2018
Printed in the United States of America and in the United Kingdom
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, I want to acknowledge my wonderful beta readers and editors, Carol Poynor (Chief Eagle Eye), Eleanor Atherton (my Mom and number-one fan), and my amazing wife, Barbara Sawyer (who once again, endured writer's widowhood while I worked to get this book out). These ladies work especially hard to provide feedback and detailed corrections that may have otherwise detracted from the storyline. I value each and every one of them, and I am proud to be part of their lives.
A big shout out to several dozen Facebook friends who, through multiple rounds of voting, helped me to settle on the final book cover. I hope you all like it!
A special thank you to the die-hard fans of Billie and Cat Charland, who are always asking when the next installment will come. The ladies have a lot more to say and share, as long as there is interest! I am seriously considering my hand at penning a young adult story next. Tara Charland is an interesting young lady whose story is longing to be told!
Now, grab a hot chocolate (or a hot Toddy if that is more to your liking), sit back, put your feet up and enjoy this eighth installment of the Billie/Cat Commitment Series!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
About the Author – Karen D. Badger
Other Titles from Badger Bliss Books
Coming Soon from Badger Bliss Books
En Garde! – Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
"My God, you're going to kill me one day," Billie exclaimed. She struggled to regain her breath.
"Whadda ya mean?" Cat rolled onto her back and stretched her arms high above her head.
"Just when I think you've outdone yourself, you hit me with something like that and totally blow me away," Billie replied.
Cat smiled coyly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Billie rolled over and pinned her wife to the bed, completely covering Cat's body with her own. "Don't give me that innocent act, Red. I haven't experienced a climax like that since...since…" Billie tried hard to remember the last time they had enjoyed such uninhibited love making.
Cat tucked a stray lock of hair behind Billie's ear. "Since before the breast cancer scare?" she suggested.
Billie's eyes softened and she recalled the past couple of weeks of anxiety and strife they lived through while they waited for biopsy results for a lump found in Cat's breast. For the billionth time, she thanked their lucky stars that it was benign. It was the most harrowing experience she had ever lived through. Billie nodded slightly. "Yeah—since then." She rolled onto her back and lay next to Cat. Billie fell silent and stared at the ceiling.
During the last two weeks, Billie had spent countless agonizing hours fretting over what her life would be like without Cat. Surely, she would go on. She would have to. The kids needed her, but without her soul...without her heart...without Cat's presence in her life, it would barely be worth the effort. Luckily the lump was not cancerous. Once more, she thanked the heavens above for smiling down on them and for giving them more time to live and love.
Cat shifted to her side, and with her fingertips, traced the worry lines that were newly evident around Billie's eyes, and in the process, wiped away the lone tear that had escaped the corner of her wife's eye. She placed a gentle kiss where the tear had been. "I'm sorry," Cat whispered softly.
Billie's head snapped up. "For what?"
"For taking you to hell and back."
Mirroring Cat's earlier move, Billie rolled onto her side to face Cat. She ran the back of her fingers across Cat's cheek. "Kitten, that wasn't your fault. You have nothing to apologize for."
"I know," Cat began, "but still, it was a nightmare neither of us needed."
"I agree, but it's over, and with a little luck, we'll never have to live through that again. One thing the experience taught me was to enjoy every moment we have together and not to fret about the future. Cat, we made it through, and we came out stronger in the end. Together we are invincible. Our love makes that possible. Promise me you'll let it go," Billie demanded passionately.
Cat closed her eyes and squeezed out a tear that rolled down her cheek and onto the pillow.
"Hey, none of that," Billie said. "The time for tears is over. We have our whole lives ahead of us. We have three amazing kids to raise. We have jobs to do, friends to spend time with and grandkids to meet some day."
Cat's eyes flew open. "Grandkids? Not for a while I hope. I'm not ready to be a grandmother."
"Well, considering Seth is only seventeen, and Tara and Skylar are even younger than that, I'd say it's pretty safe that it will be a while before that happens…but the fact is, we will be here to see it, and enjoy it—both of us."
Cat smiled. "I bet you'll be a fun Grandma."
"Fun? Like Grandma Jo?"
"Lordy, no! Bite your tongue, woman! Grandma Jo is quite a handful. I don't know how Grandma Alex puts up with her. Sheesh! What I meant is that you are the fun mom, and I'm the scary mom, so I expect it to carry over to the grandkids."
"You are not scary, Cat. You're a bit stricter than I am maybe, but definitely not scary."
"Well someone has to be the disciplinarian. You are such a pushover. The kids know they can walk all over you."
"I don't think Seth would agree with you after I pulled him out of the driver's seat and laid him out across the hood of his car that time he drove drunk."
"You had good reason to be angry with him, Billie. He's lucky he got off so easy. You scared him rather than hurt him."
"And he lost his car for an extended period of time," Billie reminded her.
"Okay. I take it back. You are strict when you need to be, but you have to admit that you are the first one to jump into a wrestling or tickling match with the kids…not to mention impromptu dance parties whenever you hear music playing. Sometimes I don't know who the bigger kid is—you, or Skylar."
"So, maybe I'm more like Grandma Jo than I realize," Billie pointed out.
"Heaven help us!" Cat l
"I like the sound of that," Billie said.
"What's that?" Cat asked.
"Your laughter. It makes me feel good."
"It makes me feel good too, Billie. Thank you for never giving up hope."
"I will never give up on you, Cat. I need you around for a long time to come. I'm not sure I can handle a boatload of grandkids by myself!"
"Well, you won't have to if I have anything to say about it."
"Promise?"
"I promise," Cat replied.
"I'll hold you to that. So, it's Saturday. What would you like to do today?" Billie asked.
Billie watched Cat's brow knit in thought.
"I know!" Cat exclaimed. "Let's plan a vacation."
Billie was a bit taken aback by the suggestion. "A vacation? What did you have in mind?"
Cat sat up and crossed her legs in front of her. "I'm not totally sure yet. Something fun. After all, we have my test results to celebrate. Let's do something that will make us appreciate life. Maybe something with a nature theme," she suggested.
Billie jumped off the bed and stood with her feet apart and hands on her hips. "No way am I doing the camping thing, Cat. Happy Trails Campground is still pretty fresh in my mind. I will not live that nightmare again!"
Cat tilted her head back and laughed.
"I fail to see what is so funny," Billie stated indignantly.
Cat leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "You are just so damned cute!"
"Cute? Cute?" Billie exclaimed in disbelief. "I wasn't so cute at Happy Trails when I was covered with poison ivy and mosquito bites…or when I spent the night at the campground all alone after being sprayed by that skunk, while you, Jen, Fred and the kids went to a hotel!" Billie reminded Cat of just a few of the many disasters the family endured while camping with their friends Jen and Fred Swenson and their children a few years earlier.
"Billie, it won't be like that," Cat defended.
"You're damned right it won't, because I'm not going!" Billie began to pace back and forth across the room.
Cat struggled to hide a grin. "Not even if we rent a fully furnished cabin?" she asked.
Billie stopped "Cabin?" she said. "I'm listening."
"Fully furnished cabin, with running water, cooking facilities, bathroom, rain-proof, bear-proof and disaster-proof." Cat listed the possible amenities that would allow them to avoid the Happy Trails Campground disasters they had all lived through. "In short, all the comforts of home."
"Disaster-proof?" Billie repeated. Her eyebrows were perched high on her forehead.
"Disaster-proof. I guarantee it. So, how about it?" Cat asked.
"Go on." Billie sat on the edge of the bed to wait for the details. After a moment or two of looking at the blank expression on Cat's face, Billie became impatient. "Well?"
"Well what?" Cat replied.
"Details?" Billie impatiently waved her hands in front of her.
"I don't know. The thought just came to me a moment ago. I don't have it all planned out yet," Cat replied. "We'll need to do some research online before settling on a destination."
"Okay. Fair enough." Billie rose to her feet and collected the clothes she had discarded around the room at the start of their lovemaking earlier that morning. She pulled a T-shirt over her head. "I'll go power up the computer." She stopped in the bedroom doorway. "What time did Jen say she'd send the girls home?" she asked.
Cat looked at the clock on the bedside table. "Jen said yesterday that she was going to take them to a movie and then out for ice cream this afternoon before dropping them off at the mall. I suspect it will be a few hours yet. Why?"
"I want to get the kids' input on our trip."
"That's a good idea."
Billie made another move toward the door, but stopped once more. "Should we invite the Swensons to go with us?"
Cat bit her lower lip and frowned. "Billie, you know I love Jen, Fred and the kids like they were my own family, but I'd really like this trip to be about us. Am I being selfish?"
Billie smiled and thought about their best friends, Jen and Fred Swenson. They hadn't always been friends. In fact, when they first moved into the neighborhood several years earlier, all the neighbors shunned them when they realized the nature of their relationship. It wasn't until the Swenson's home caught fire one night, and Billie risked her own life to pull Fred and their two children, Stevie and Karissa from the burning house, that they became friends. Since then, their friendship had grown into something much deeper than would be normal between neighbors. Fred made it a point to become their advocate for the rest of the neighborhood, and soon, they were widely accepted as valued members of the community. They considered the Swensons family…family you choose, rather than family you're born into. Thinking about Jen and Fred made her smile. Jen was brash and outgoing, bold and opinionated, while Fred was laid back and a bit goofy by nature. They were perfect for each other. Their children, Stevie and Karissa were the same ages as Seth and Tara and had become best friends as well.
Billie snapped out of her reverie. "You're not being selfish at all, Cat. I agree. Let's make this about us and the kids. Heaven knows, the cancer scare affected all of us as a family. We need time to be together and to reconnect without other people around. Maybe we can do something with Jen and Fred later. I'm going to check out possible destinations online," she said over her shoulder and then disappeared through the doorway.
Cat grinned from ear to ear and leisurely climbed off the bed to collect her clothes. She marveled at how Billie could go from stubborn and defensive one moment to excited and cooperative the next.
"Don't ever change, Billie Girl. I love you just the way you are," she mumbled under her breath and she followed in the wake of her excited wife.
CHAPTER 2
Billie sat in front of the computer, pressed the power button and waited for the desktop unit to come alive. Moments later, she clicked on the icon for her favorite search engine.
"Okay, what should I search for...campgrounds, National parks, amusement parks?"
Billie settled on National parks and pressed the enter button. Within seconds she was presented with a long list of websites.
"Damn! I didn't realize how many National parks there are in the country. It'll take me all day to go through these." Billie sat back and fought the feeling of overwhelming helplessness that crept into her consciousness. "Maybe Cat can help me narrow down the search."
Billie made her way to the kitchen where she found Cat at the counter with her back to her. From her position she watched Cat wipe her eyes with the back of her hand and sniff loudly. She was obviously crying. A gut-wrenching anxiety immediately gripped Billie's stomach.
Billie approached Cat and placed her hands on Cat's shoulders. "Cat! Honey, what's wrong?"
Cat turned around and sniffed once more. "Onions!" she exclaimed. "I decided to start a spaghetti sauce for dinner."
Billie raised one eyebrow to Cat. "Onions?" she asked.
Cat sniffed again. "Yeah. Wanna help?"
"You actually want me to help you cook?" Billie asked in disbelief.
An expression of sudden panic crossed Cat's face. She slapped her own forehead with the heel of her palm. "Jesus! What was I thinking?" she exclaimed in an exaggerated tone. "You're right. We want this to be edible."
"Hey! Do you have to be so brutally honest? Can't you just humor me for once?" Billie feigned mock indignation.
Cat smiled and gently touched the side of Billie's face with an open palm. "Dear heart," she began, "have you ever had food poisoning? Trust me—it's not fun. No, I think I've got this one covered."
"Good, because I'm actually in the middle of an Internet search for campgrounds and I need some advice," Billie explained.
Cat turned back to her cutting board and reached for a large clove of garlic. She peeled the skin from the fragrant clove while she talked. "Okay, shoot. What can I help you with?"
