Category: Ben / Adam
Stories centered on Adam and Ben
Vows and Loopholes (by DJK)
Summary: Adam is determined to know why Ben Cartwright always refused his sons’ requests for a family dog. This was written for the 2026 Lorne Green’s Birthday Challenge which required the author to write a Carwright story that included a dog in honor of Lorne’s love of dogs.
rating: teen word count : 2843
A Stain (by Krystyna)
Summary: Sometimes something quite small can bring sorrow and joy at the same time.
Rating: G, Word Count: 650
The Declaration (by Pat D in PA)
SUMMARY: An older brother mourns his believed failure in keeping a promise. Written for the 3rd Quarter 2025 Chaps and Spurs Writing Challenge.
RATING: K/G WORD COUNT: 1,335
I’m FINE! (by Pat D in PA)
SUMMARY: Adam’s heart is set on attending a performance by actor Edwin Booth at a production of Hamlet at San Francisco’s Adelphi Theatre. As his departure date nears, he can feel himself coming down with a cold. He knows the moment he sneezes, Ben and Hop Sing will have him confined to bed. Can he manage to hold his illness at bay long enough to not miss something he wants so very, very badly to experience? And how much is he willing to risk in order to do so? (17,156 words)
Mother’s Day (by mo1427)
Summary: Mother’s Day is hard when you’re missing your mama.
Rating: G, Word Count: 643
The Loft – #2 (by Pat D in PA)
SUMMARY: In the second of three short stories, a frustrated father, an ornery, half-grown son, and a small(ish) sentinel guarding his elder brother’s privacy as he licks his wounds all need the Cartwright barn’s hayloft to work its magic.
RATING: T – for mature language (5,777 words)
Conversations Along the Trail (by DJK)
This is a compilation of five vignettes that take place on Ben Cartwright’s trip West.
Rating: K+ Words: 2274
With Elizabeth (by sklamb)
Summary: Death doesn’t put an end to our relationships with the ones we love. Especially at Christmas!
Rating: G
Words: 1,655
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
The Lumberjack Contest (by Sibylle)
Summary: A young Ben takes part in a lumberjack contest, but the consequences aren’t what he expected.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 2893
Death Wish? (by BettyHT)
Summary: After a question posed by Ben, Adam reflects on why he has been in so many dangerous situations. There are numerous references to Bonanza episodes.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,423
What Goes Around (by BettyHT)
Summary: A Christmas story in which Adam finds that cheating yourself isn’t as bad as one might think especially with the family he has.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,270
A Dream Come True (by AC1830)
Summary: A child’s innocent question leads to memories for Ben and Adam, and a special moment with Adam’s young son.
Rating: K, Word Count: 2891
A Father’s Promise (by HarpistforHim)
Summary: Following the events of the Prime of Life, Ben thinks everything has returned to normal… until his oldest son comes to him with open wounds Ben thought had long been healed. The missing conversation between Adam and Ben from my story “Never Again.”
Word count: 3,370 Rating: G
Part of the Never Again Series, link to all stories included within.
A Decision in Ohio (By Missjudy)
Summary: An unexpected visit from an old Boston shipmate, and the question he asks, prompts Ben to think back to a time when he’d visited his brother with Adam, the winter before leaving for Missouri to join a wagon train west. Their stay had provided some great family times, while also pointing towards many obstacles Ben had never considered. It had finally prompted the biggest decision of his life.
Rating: G
Word Count: 15626
The Curse of Black Crow (by Annie K Cowgirl)
Summary: A journey home turns into a nightmare that will never be forgotten.
Rating: T
Word Count: 3,618