Category: Family
Stories that focus on the entire family
Beautiful in My Eyes (by Wrangler)
Summary: Francois Balantaire, a spurned suitor of Marie Cartwright’s, travels two thousand miles and twenty years to seek vengeance on her by scarring her son, Little Joe. Rating T, WC 24,425
I Will (by Wrangler)
Summary: Little Joe is consumed with guilt when his best friend is accidently shot and killed. Unable to forgive himself, Joe heads down a dangerous self-destructive path. Rating T, WC 21,861
The Meaning of Christmas (by PatD in PA)
Summary: An explanation of Christmas, between brothers.
Rating: G (120 words)
Written for the 2025 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Mr. Adam and Them Boys (by DJK)
Summary: Adam loses a bet and must take Little Joe and four friends hunting in the high country. His fears of catastrophe come true in an unexpected way. This prequel was written for the Chaps and Spurs Quarter Four Challenge. The five mandated words were: percolate, earthquake, pipeline, surgeon, amendment. Rating: teen Word count: 7373
Someday Soon (by Wrangler)
Summary: Sorting through a box of mementos, Ben finds a gift Little Joe made when he was five and recalls how it helped the Cartwrights through their first Christmas without Marie. Rating T, WC 12,520
No More Promises (By MelissaR1992)
Summary: Alice Cartwright’s life is turned upside down when her estranged uncle arrives in town, carrying a dark secret. This story is part of my Forever Reimagined series and takes place a few months after the events of Vengeance is Mine. Rating: PG Word Count: 14,086
Calling Up Angels (By Wrangler)
Summary: When a little boy is left in Little Joe’s care, he hopes to adopt him however problems arise which might prevent the adoption. A tale of love and loss. Rating T, WC 19,382
Peace on Earth (by Pat D in PA)
Summary: A blizzard and a case of the flu conspire to make the Cartwright boys wonder if Christmas would find it’s way to the Ponderosa
Rating: K/G (10,837 words)
Queen of the Dunes (by CareBear)
Summary: When Adam and his wife welcome a second child, the household is thrown into chaos. The changes leave their oldest feeling so overlooked that she becomes convinced that no one will miss her if she disappears. Being a Cartwright, she decides to put that theory to the test.
Rating: PG WC: 15,160
The Sound of Surviving (by Wrangler)
Summary: Though his family thinks he’s paranoid due to the trauma of the past year Joe insists he’s acting instinctively. Now he faces one final battle to prove he’s a survivor and no longer a victim.
Rating T, WC 37,040 Links to stories within the series are included within.
A Ponderosa Thanksgiving (by Heather Chrysalis)
Summary: (Poetry) The Cartwright clan express their love and gratitude for each other and for the land.
Rated G Wordcount: 375
The Truth Be Told (by Wrangler)
Summary: There’s trouble brewing when Pa accuses his youngest of coming home drunk on several occasions but Little Joe insists he’s innocent. The truth proves to be unpredictable. Rating T, WC 13,401
When October Goes (by Wrangler)
Summary: Ben disowns Little Joe; Adam fights him in town and Hoss ignores him. Now everyone wants to know why. The reason lies in October. Rating T, WC 41,844
If Your Heart Cries Out Tonight (by Wrangler)
Summary: Little Joe reflects back to when he challenged an important decision that his father made. Now, at seventeen, he discovers why Pa was right.
Rating T WC 10,225,
The Weaker Sex (by Pat D in PA)
Summary: Marie Cartwright comes home from assisting a neighboring woman to find … Written for the 3rd Quarter Chaps and Spurs Challenge.
Rating: K/G
Word Count: 2,067
