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Take Me Home #1 – by Home Alone
Summary: Adam is called home from Boston for a family emergency after a ten-year absence. Will he be able to win back the love of his life he left behind?
Rating: MA/R WC 19208
Take Me Home #2 – Letters from Home – by Home Alone
Summary: A prelude to Take Me Home. Adam has left for Boston, leaving his wife Ellie behind while he makes ready for her to join him. This is a collection of their letters to each other during their separation.
Word count: 5,169 Rating: K+/G
Summary: After winning the rodeo, Joe is approached by a stranger about a job. He refuses, then disappears. Can the Cartwrights find Joe, when the stranger seems to be innocent?
11,720 words Rated: T
Summary: Caught between ‘a rock and a hard place’, Adam is forced to help rustle a Ponderosa herd.
Rating: T 16,885 Words
Summary: When July rolls in like a flaming freight train perhaps it’s best to just kick back and have a little fun.
Rating: K Word Count: 922
Takin’ Charge #1 – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: Dedicated to all those times when you have taken up the banner and led the way, even when you didn’t know where you’re going or why you had to…
Rated: T Word Count: 35,600
Takin’ Charge #2 – The Story of Ruth – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: A follow up story for Takin’ Charge
Rating K+ Word Count: 6300
Summary: Adam’s decision to leave the Ponderosa is interrupted when the Cartwright brothers are forced to embark on a grim journey. Thanks to Jo for the encouragement.
Rated: K+ (19,205 words)
Taking Responsibility – by JoanS
Summary: Joe takes responsibility for his actions and as a result finds himself trapped in a loveless relationship.
Rated: T 22,910 words
Tale of a Cougar and Death – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Mix the Cartwright brothers and the Bonner brothers, and this is what you get, more than you bargained for.
Rating: T 2,100 words
Talking to Jane – by Pat D in PA
Summary: Ben Cartwright reflects on his life with a kind listener.
Rating: g/k (7201 words)
Summary: There’s turkey and then there’s turkey. Is it all a distraction and an excuse? Or is it real?
Rating: G (7,300 words)
Tall Tales and Taller Truths – by freyakendra
Summary: An Indian woman who ‘haunts’ young, tenderfoot Joe during a cattle drive gives him a night he’ll never forget.
Rated: MA Word Count: 1,520
Taming of the Scrooge – by pbeaking
Summary: Ten Year old Adam Cartwright must face a tough challenge in Mrs. Viola Watkins; a widow woman who is simply a scrooge. Can a falling out between them actually bring them together?
Rating: K 7.865 words
Summary: A WHI for The Spitfire. When Joe brings Willow back to the Ponderosa, only one person understands what’s really happening.
Rating: PG Word count: 4,380 words
Summary: Helping out at a friend’s horse ranch, Joe becomes entangled in a nasty rivalry, which could cost him his life.
9,190 words Rated: T
Summary: A former girlfriend of Joe’s seeks his help in dealing with a crisis.
Rated: K+ WC 3700
Summary: It was just another ordinary day for Adam Cartwright, with the ordinary prospect that he would have to step in and keep his little brother out of trouble. Or was it?
Word count: 2507 Rated: G
Tattletale’s Birthday (The) – by pony
Summary: Adam receives the best birthday gift ever … from a very unlikely giver.
Rated: K 4,090 words
Teach Me to Fly – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: A young woman is injured while riding across the Ponderosa; the Cartwrights find themselves doing more than helping her heal and Candy finds himself falling in love.
Rating: K+ 5,770 words
Tears of Growing Up #1 – by BluewindFarm
Summary: An accident while breaking horses sets Joe and the family on a downward spiral as unfounded fears over rule common sense. And when tragedy again strikes upon the Ponderosa…will the family ever be whole?
40,470 words Rating: K+
Tears of Growing Up #2 – First Ride – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A follow up story for Tears of Growing Up. Two years have passed since Ben and Joe stood outside the corrals watching the taming of wild horses by Adam and their wranglers. Now, it’s finally Joe’s turn. Rating: K+ 2,305 words
Tears of Growing Up #3 – Learning to Trust, One Last Time – by BluewindFarm
Summary: It’s never easy seeing your youngest taking another step towards manhood.
Rating: G 715 words
Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy – by Rona
Summary: Tragedy is compounded by heartbreak for the Cartwrights.
9,020 words Rated: T
Summary: Joe buys a laptop without his father’s permission, and it later causes havoc for all of them.
Rated: K+
Telegram (The) – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben Cartwright receives an incomplete telegram. What is the message and who is it about?
2,695 words Rating: K
Summary: A long-awaited Christmas present arrives on the Ponderosa
Rating G
Written for the Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Telling of a Nightmare (The) – by Julee
Summary: Bolstered and strengthened by his father and brothers, Adam comes to grips with his ordeal in the desert, but only after an intense night during which the story is told.
Rating K+ Word Count 4,740
Tempt Not The Stars – by Claire
Summary: Troubled by ill-health, Ben travels to Sacramento, little realising that Joe is about to embark upon the most important journey of his life.
Rated: K 13,040 words
Summary: When Adam falls in love with a married woman, it sets off a chain of events that eventually leads to pandemonium for all the Cartwrights.
Rated: PG13 for spousal abuse 15,020 words
Summary: The Cartwrights struggle to intervene when a disturbed boy holds his classmates hostage–including Little Joe.
Rated: T 10,175 words
Ten Little Indians – by freyakendra
Summary” Four full grown Cartwrights—and one overworked Doc Martin—being bested by a bunch of angry, young Shoshoni boys could provide fodder for some uproarious saloon talk…if they can live long enough for their story to be told. SJS, SAS, ESA, ESH, ESB
Rated: T WC 18,500
Tending to Business – by dbird
Summary: It’s never business as usual when the Cartwrights are around. . . . Written by dbird and pjb.
Rated: K+ 9800
Summary: It’s never business as usual when the Cartwrights are around. . . .
Rated: K+ WC 9800
Terror at Old Dry Diggins (by AC1830)
Summary: When the stage route from Placerville becomes blocked by a rock slide, Adam and Joe decide to ride home. While crossing the old gold fields, a storm approaches, forcing the brothers to take refuge in an old mining cabin. During the night, they become ensnared in a legend that is beyond their worst nightmares, but will morning be any better for them?
Rating: PG-13 for horror. Nothing too graphic, more implied.
Word Count: 3103
Terror of the Night – by frasrgrl
Summary: Chaps and Spurs challenge to use the following five words: Bachelor, Medieval, Commence, Culmination, and Tassel
Rated: T 750 words
Terror Stalks the Night – by patina
Summary: As day ends the fight to survive the night begins.
Rating: T Word Count=2738
Testament of Friendship – by Rona
Summary: A WHN for False Witness. For all those who felt deprived of a JPM.
Rating: K+ 7,375 words
Thank You for Loving Me RoseCartwright
Summary: Joe goes to visit his Pa and brothers one summer’s day leaving his wife and child alone for the day. What will the Cartwright’s do when one of their own is injured and one is missing? Will Joe do whatever it takes to get his wife back or will he listen to Pa and have the sheriff help? What will they do when things start to go for the worse?
Rated: K 11,190 words
Summary: A little addition to the episode: “Honor of Cochise” We all know how Pa, Joe & Hoss feel about Adam being wounded, but what is Adam thinking after he’s shot? This short story gives you a feel for Adam’s perspective:
Rated: K WC 5800
Thanks, Little Joe – by JRosemary
Summary: Funny how a dream can help you figure stuff out…
Rating: G (1,500 words)
Thanks, Pal – by EileenK
Story Summary: Adam is severely injured and when he wants to die, he comes face to face with his Guardian Angel, who appears several times throughout the story. A sort of spoof of the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”, but with a different twist.
Rating and Reader Alerts: Rating is G even though there is pain, suffering and sickness in this story.
Words: 9,500
Thanksgiving – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: The lack of a turkey puts the Cartwright’s Thanksgiving celebrations in jeopardy, but the Giggly Sisters help them to reflect on the true meaning of the day.
Rated: T WC 1700
Thanksgiving Reflections – by DebbieB
Summary: Ben remembers to give thanks for the blessings that made him a richer man than most.
Rated: G 1,000 words
That Changes Everything – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: After Joe takes the sheriff position in Rubicon, Adam decides to head up there to knock some sense into him. But Ben isn’t about to let that happen. A WHIB/WHN for the episode “The Tin Badge” with a little bit if “The Honor of Cochise” thrown in for good measure.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1,400
That Sad Birthday – by BettyHT
Summary: It’s always a question as to how to commemorate the birthdays of those one has lost. For the Cartwrights, those days were days to celebrate and remember the best of each loved one no longer with them. Then they faced the most devastating loss of all, and the tradition seemed inadequate. PG Word count = 3,601
That Shrinking Feeling – by Claire
Summary: Adam and Hoss play an elaborate practical joke on Joe that has unforeseen consequences.
Rated: T 9,745 words
That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine #1 – by DebbieB
Summary: Ben’s near death experience is cause for Joe to want to make atonement for his past misdemeanors.
Rated G WC 12,600
That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine #2 – An Arm and a Leg – by DebbieB
Summary: Joe’s need for revenge is squelched when he believes that his father’s heart has become as cold and callous as his own.
Rated: PG for mild violence 12,595 words
Summary: A week of hilarious mishaps is recounted for Candy’s benefit. But there is one thing he can’t believe…
4,090 words Rated: K
That Which Makes a Better Man – by Camera Chic
Summary: After Ben and Adam arrive back at the Ponderosa to find Joe beaten, starved and almost dead, tied in his room, the Cartwrights search for the answer to the question, “Why?”
Rating: PG-13 for violence 21, 030 words
That’s How it Felt – by DebbieB
Summary: A revengeful young man seeks out the Cartwrights. One of them is doomed to be hung, but which one and why?
Rated: PG 13 for mild violence 12,840 words
Summary: Marie will soon be celebrating her first Christmas as a Cartwright. But first, the family has to make it through the annual Virginia City Christmas pageant. Will the Cartwrights or the pageant ever be the same?
Rating: K Word Count=5596
Summary: Roy Coffee’s maidenly niece shows up in Virginia City and creates quite a stir.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 5460
Then and Now – by Cheaux
Summary: Two sides of the same coin, one looks forward, one looks backward and they both struggle in the present. This post Season 14 story is set in 1878 and includes most all of the principal cast from the series run. Written for the 2018 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rated: T 10,000 words
There Are Always Angels – by Feeyanne
Summary: A mystery horse, two lost souls, a heartsick little boy, a father struggling to overcome his grief, a stable full of talking animals, and a goose with a message, combine for a magical and memorable Christmas on the Ponderosa.
Rating: K/G Word Count: 7220
There are More Things – by KateP
Summary: It’s Halloween on the Ponderosa and Ben has a visitor from England.
Rated: K+ 6,610 words
There’s Wisdom, and Then There’s… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: He thinks he knows all it takes to be a cowboy; leaving Ben to wonder.
Rating: K 1,070 words
They Do Dream Things True – by McFair
Summary: When 10 year old Joe Cartwright awakes screaming his pa’s name in the night, his brothers assume the young boy is afraid since their pa is away in Placerville. What they can’t know is that Joe’s nightmare is all too real and their brother’s reaction to it will catapult all four Cartwrights on a journey that will end with both their father and little brother losing their lives – unless Heaven intervenes.
Rating: K+ 41,980 words
Thicker Than Water – by DebbieB
Summary: After a major argument turns nasty, both Adam and Joe leave home. Unforeseen circumstances leads Adam into searching for his missing brother who has not been heard from in weeks. Can Adam find his younger brother and restore their relationship before the youngest Cartwright destroys himself completely?
Rated G WC 19,000
Things that Go Bump in the Night – by Cheaux
Summary: Did you ever wonder why Joe was obsessive about hunting creatures of the night in My Brother’s Keeper and Marie, My Love?
Rated: T WC 2500
Things You Don’t Choose (The) – by BettyHT
Summary: Based on the episode The Wild One, Hoss has to explain the aftermath of his confrontation with Leif to his family and why it occurred. They’re especially interested after seeing the condition of the main room when they arrive home.
Rating: PG Word Count: 1,127
Things You’ll Never Hear in a Western Movie – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Yep, the title explains this story.
Rating: T 4,165 words
Summary: In this prequel story, Little Joe’s prank leads to anger and harsh words, but the consequences don’t end there.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,237
Third Son (The) #1 – by Wrangler
Summary: The Cartwrights find mystery and danger when Little Joe is gifted a strange present by Ben’s late uncle; which proves to be a curse when Joe is attacked.
Rating T, WC 41,000
Third Son (The) #2 – Devil’s Hold (The) – by Wrangler
Summary: The lives of the Cartwrights are turned upside down when Joe falls into an old well setting the stage for more mystery and danger.
Rating T, WC 38,900
Third Son (The) #3 – Payback – by Wrangler
Summary: It’s time for payback when Little Joe is unwittingly duped by Pete Timmons, setting the stage for one final battle between them. .
Rating T, WC 22,067,
Third Warning (The) – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: This is a story of racial prejudice and violence. The authors, while being sensitive to some readers’ concerns, have no intention of defaming any racial or ethnic group as we have found and experienced prejudice and bias on both sides of the issue. We warn you ahead of time that this is not a story for everyone and should you be put off by it, we suggest that you examine your own prejudices carefully……….
Rating: MA 19,135 words
Summary: A Halloween story, told by Joe and Hoss. Joe gets into trouble while Hoss does everything he can to fix things again.
Rating: PG Word count: 9000
This Thing of Darkness – by Cwright Girl
Summary: 2014 BoNaNo Submission. A WHIB for the episode To Die in Darkness S9E28 . An extension and analysis of Candy’s spiral into depression and attempted suicide that hopefully offers some explanation and closure.
Rating: T for mentions of suicide Word Count: 5455
Summary: This is a little story of what happens when Adam falls for one of Joe’s schemes.
Rated: T WC 2900
Thou Shall Not Lie – by DebbieB
Summary: Ben’s new fencing and Little Joe’s secret cause more trouble and heartache than either father or son had anticipated. Each suffer in their own ways when the wires get crossed.
Rated G WC 24,000
Though She Be But Little – by McFair
Summary: A slight mishap brings the old Indian blanket that hangs on the stair rail to Joe Cartwright’s attention. His questions bring odd looks and just a little bit of pain. When his Pa breaks down and tells him the story of how the blanket came to be there and what it means, Joe realizes he will never look at his mother the same way again.
Rated PG-13 Word count: 17,653
Summary: What goes through the mind and hearts of a father and two of his sons as they stand together before the grave a man much loved, and taken from them much too soon? Warning … character death.
Rating: K+
Thoughts #1 – Thoughts from the Man in Black – by DebbieB
Summary: Adam’s reveals his innermost feelings after suffering a broken heart
Rated: G 2,000 words
Thoughts #2 – Thoughts, This Time from Little Joe – by DebbieB
Summary: Joe’s thoughts on Adam’s heartbreak.
Rated: G 1,315 words
Thoughts #3 – Thoughts, Hoss’ Own – by DebbieB
Summary: Hoss has thoughts of his own concerning his older brother’s broken heart.
Rated: G 1,180 words
Thoughts #4 – Thoughts… Joe’s Apology – by DebbieB
Summary: Joe finally makes his apology to his older brother.
Rated: G 1,400 words
Thoughts #5 – Thoughts… Ben’s – by DebbieB
Summary: Relieved that Leilani had gone, Ben gives his impression of the young woman strictly as a father’s point of view.
Rated: G 1,525 words
Thoughts #6 – Thoughts, Leilani Speaks Out – by DebbieB
Summary: Was she as bad as we first thought? Or was there goodness in her heart that only Adam was aware of?
Rated G WC 1450
Thoughts on Being a Father – by DebbieB
Summary: With his youngest son injured, Ben takes time to reflect on what his life was like before he became a father.
Rated: G 2,420 words
Thoughts on Leaving – a poem – by KateP
Summary: A Bonanza poem, the title explains it all.
Rating: G (240 words)
Three Blind Tales – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Nope, it’s not the Three Blind Mice.
Rating: T 3,755 words
Three Brides for Three Brothers– by Monette
Synopsis: At age 16 Joe is already smug about the number of girls he dates, and teases his brothers about being too slow to get hitched. Hoss and Adam find the perfect vengeance when a widow woman and her three daughters come looking for Ben’s help with her son’s unjust guilty verdict. Ben is suspicious, but when he eventually catches on not only to what the elderly woman was up to but also why Adam and Hoss have planned such an elaborate party celebration, he sits backs and waits for the fun.
Teen Words: 12,477
Summary: It’s an Adam returns story, and he brings two with him. He brings a bit of trouble too and some changes, but he’s got the family on his side, well, after some issues from the past that have to get cleared away first.
WC = 13577 rating = T
Three Christmas Cards – by debpet
Summary: Three brief holiday stories I hope you’ll enjoy!
Rated: K+ WC 3900
Summary: A year after Laura’s treachery with Will, Adam is still feeling the effects from that and the fall from the house he was building for her. He is melancholy and then a tragedy sends him on a quest for justice that turns into something more.
rating = T WC = 21,134
Three Halves Make a Whole – by Questfan
Summary: When seven-year-old Little Joe gets the wrong end of an idea and twists it out of shape, it’s up to his family to straighten things out. An early prequel story before Adam has left for college.
Rating: K Word Count: 3041
Three Kings (The) – by Sibylle
Summary: In early 1847, a winter’s night on the Ponderosa leads to an unexpected gift for the three brothers and the whole family. Prequel
Rated: K WC: 2100
Three Little Words – by Puchi Ann
Summary: A Tiny WHN for “A House Divided” Surely, the brothers had more to say to one another than what we heard at the lake. Perhaps just three little words?
Rating: K Word Count: 705
Three Peanuts (The) – by indiana
Summary: Sheriff Coffee needs Adam’s help to resolve a strange affair in town…
Rating K+ WC 1700
Three Thousand Six Hundred Seconds – by PatD in PA
SUMMARY: A short piece written for the Michael Landon Birthday Literary Challenge 2025.
RATING: G/K WORD COUNT: 521 words
Through a Glass, Darkly – by Karen
Summary: The Cartwrights look after a couple of children for a while.
Rated: T 10,015 word
Through Fiery Trials a Pathway Lies – by Hart4Ben
Summary: After the loss of Hoss and Joe’s wife, Alice, the Cartwright family is facing yet another tragedy.
Rating: T Word Count: 10476 Warning: Character death
Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death – by DebbieB
Summary: Has God ever tested your faith? How do you think you scored? Ben’s faith is tested to the utmost when Joe is crushed by a fallen horse and the only way to relieve his suffering is for Ben to give his son back to God.
Rated G WC 6500
Throwing a Houlihan – by BluewindFarm –
Summary: Chalk one more up to Little Joe and ‘cowboy-isms’.
Rating: G (1,525 words)
Thrown to the Winds – by debpet
Summary: Is life handing Ben Cartwright an unexpected chance at a new love? Or merely to relive a long lost one? And to grasp it will he throw away one of his greatest treasures…his beloved oldest son?
Rated: K WC 31,000
Thunder Mountain – by slaine89
Summary: A storm threatens to keep Ben, Adam, and Joe from returning to the Ponderosa. Adapted from Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
Rated: K 8,700 words
Thunder Rolls – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: A simple business trip turns into much more when a robbery takes place and a Cartwright goes missing.
Rating T 17,630 words
Summary: A WHN for the episdoe, The Thunderman.
Rating: T 15,425 words
Summary: Written for “Hop Sing’s Chinese New Year Challenge 2026,” honoring the year of the Fire Horse.
Rating: G/K Word Count: 1,350
Tidings of Comfort and Joy – by Hart4Ben
Summary: It’s Adam’s first Christmas away from his family while at school in Boston. A prequel.
Rating – K WC=1319
Summary: From near and far, greetings abound throughout Virginia City.
Rating: G 1,560 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: Strange things start happening when Joe is found bound in strange looking knots. A surprise visit from an old seafaring friend of Ben’s deepens the mystery.
PG 13 WC 19,000
Summary: Adam and Joe both learn that the ties that bind as brothers can never be severed, not by a lying woman, a rockslide or certain death.
Rated PG WC 13,900
Summary: An exploration of perhaps the most controversial subject in Bonanza fanfiction — what if Ben and Marie also had a daughter? But this is not a story about a Cartwright sister. Though viewed through a different lens, it’s a story about a family we all know and love, whose relationships are tested and reaffirmed in the face of the inevitable.
Rating: K+ 27,820 words
Ties that Bind # 2 – Imperfect Memory – by JC
Synopsis: A conversation overheard at a party evokes Adam’s memories of Marie and his own first love.
Rating: PG-13 for adult situations, mild language 47,550 words
Ties that Bind # 3 – A Pearl Without Price – by JC
Synopsis: Adam Cartwright knows well there are some things in this world that money can’t buy, and other things are priceless.
Rating K+ 1,425 word
Ties That Bind # 4 – A Piece of Cake – by JC
Synopsis: How hard can it be, taking care of two little boys for one day? That’s what Joe thinks….
Rating K WC 1661
Ties That Bind # 5 – Something About Amy – by JC
Summary: Tennyson said, “It’s better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” What would Joe Cartwright say? WHI/WHN for The Truckee Strip and part of the Ties That Bind AU series Rating K+ 1782 words
Ties That Bind # 6 – Guarding the Hen House – by JC
Summary: A too-pretty girl, a Saturday night dance, and a little moonlight mischief. Not to worry—Adam’s got it covered.
Rating: T 2859 words
Ties That Bind # 7 – When Angels Cry – by JC
Summary: The arrival of a range detective in Virginia City means trouble for Adam in more ways than one. A WHI for The Flannel-Mouth Gun, part of the Ties That Bind series
Rating: T 13,258 words
Ties that Bind # 8 – When Worlds Collide – by JC
Summary: Unexpected guests arrive at the Ponderosa on Halloween night. Written for the Michael Landon 2017 Birthday Challenge, it includes a re-imagining of events depicted in “The Strange One” Season 7 .
Rating: K+ 3702 words
Ties that Bind # 9 – No Ordinary Day – by JC
Summary: It was just a typical, uneventful trip into town for the Cartwrights. Or was it?
Rating K+ 2080 words
Ties that Bind #10 – Winter of Discontent – by JC
Summary: An early snow and bitter cold has Ben Cartwright feeling his age, but there is more than just the dreary season behind his winter woes. Set in the Ties That Bind universe but can be read alone
Rating T 6842 words
Ties that Bind #11 – Gently, Full of Grace – by JC
Summary: Two Cartwright lives take a tragic turn during a trip abroad. Will they ever be able to go home again? Part of the Ties That Bind AU series
Rating: K+ 4372 words
Ties that Bind #12 – Interval – by JC
Summary: What is it like, being a Cartwright daughter? Only one person could tell you, and it might not be what you think. This story is an expansion of a recent Pine Cone Challenge, the prompt being “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.”
Rating: T 2,093 words
Tiger Puzzle (The) – a REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: The Cartwright brothers come to the aid of sister; however, will they be able to help the damsels in distress? If you know the brothers, you know where this is going — risque’.: T 1,135 words
Til the Day is Done – by A_Starry_Night
Summary: The outcome of Hoss’s untimely death was devastating – but none so much as for Ben Cartwright.
Rating: T 10,140 words
Summary: It’s a small world; Bonanza style
Rated – G / Word count – 2,446
Summary: Oh, what fun there is on the Ponderosa at Christmas
Rating: G (110 words)
Summary: A trip to the lumber camp to relay a message takes an ominous turn for Joe.
Word Count: 9200 Rated: T
Summary: Joe attends his first business conference as a representative of The Ponderosa.
Rated: K 8,065 words
Timber Contract (The) – by Rona
Summary: An everyday business venture takes an unexpected turn for Ben Cartwright
Rated: T
Time of Day (The) – by DebbieB
Summary: Feeling rejected by his family, Joe joins forces with an old friend of his father’s to earn him the attention he feels is being denied. When things turn out different from expected, Joe suddenly regrets his decision and now feels as if he has betrayed, not only his father but his brothers as well. Will his father find him in time, and will Ben forgive his impetuous son?
Rated: G 23,800 words
Summary: Joe has to say goodbye to a beloved friend.
Rated: K 5,965 words
Time to Let Go #2 – Time to Say Goodbye – by JoanS
Summary: Joe faces a difficult time in his life.
Rating K 5,985 words
Summary: Adam’s 21st birthday is almost here, and Ben has something special to give to him. But does his youngest son’s insatiable curiosity ruin the entire surprise for both Ben and Adam?
Rated G WC 14,100
Summary: What is the story behind Adam’s attachment to one particular old possession of his?
Rated: K WC 2250
Tipping Point (The) – by Patina
Summary: It’s looking more and more like lumps of coal are likely gifts this year.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 3,070
Summary: Ben remembers Christmas past.
Rated: K+ 2,385 words
To Add or Not to Add – ElayneA
Summary: What to get someone who needs more than the Ponderosa?
Rating: 1,085 words
Written for the Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: Someone claiming to be Ben’s nephew is running up big bills. But just who is he?
9,055 words Rating: T
Summary: Joe helps a friend of his father to know what it is to be a father.
Rated: K+ 2,330 words
To Be Loved As No Other #1 – by Laura Brodie
Summary: Joe finds a woman scorned is a dangerous situation, even if he has no idea his offense.
Rated: M 21,980 words
To Be Loved as No Other #2 – Lost and Found – by Laura Brodie
Summary: Joe finds love and loses it. This coming of age story has Joe work through the pain of loss to find hidden feelings and old hurts.
Rated: MA 137,230 words
To Be or Not To Be – by SusanG
Summary: A traveling medicine show arrives in Virginia City.
Word Count: 38,000 Rated: T
To Become a Man – by Lynnette
Synopsis: When Danny Morris, a friend of Joe’s whom he taught how to handle a gun, murders Laura Peterson and escapes with her money, Joe feels responsible and goes after Danny along with Adam and Hoss. The ordeals and trials faced by the three of them, especially Joe, draw the ties that bind them closer together and reveal the growth in Joe’s mind and character.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG
Words: 6,300
Summary: With Ben in Denver and Hop Sing in San Francisco, Adam’s in charge. What could possibly go wrong?
Rating: K+ 7,970 words
Summary: It’s suddenly Christmas, and Adam has to come up with an alternative plan. The solution is quite a surprise, but one enjoyed by the whole family.
Rating: G Words: 2,785
Part of the Art-Universe
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
Summary: Saturday night, Adam and Hoss got stranded in an abandoned cabin, and what Adam wants most is a bath. And hadn’t Hoss just reckoned that? But there’s more at stake than just washing off road dust.
Rating: PG / Word count: 6,223
Summary: Captured by Bannock Indians, for what Joe considered a minor offense, he is tortured almost beyond his endurance. Will Joe’s rescuers arrive in time, or will the youngest Cartwright lose all hope, allowing the Indians to become the victors in his demise?
Rated R WC 17,450
To Escape the Ponderosa – by DJK
Summary: Ben’s loss is keeping him from home until he remembers what he still has there.
Rated: K+ Word count: 1182
Summary: It takes great love and great courage to let someone go. Variable winds of change affects everyone on the Ponderosa.
Rated: T 8,380 words
To Everything There is a Season #1 – Reacquaintance – by MonicaSJ
Summary: The Cartwrights welcome the daughter of a good friend back from college after her father dies. She studied for seven years and became a successful singer back east and comes home to her father’s ranch and horse business which is held in trust with Adam and Ben as the trustees. She shares some unpleasant history with Adam. This is the first part of a series.
Rating: T WC 63,000
To Everything There is a Season #2 – Falling – by MonicaSJ
Summary: The Cartwrights welcomed the daughter of a good friend back from college after her father died. She had a long, adversarial history with Adam, but since she’s been back, old wounds have healed. The pressures of her dual life of running a ranch with Adam as trustee and the possibility of singing abroad forced her to make a choice. Did she ultimately make a sacrifice? Or will she make a different choice?
Rating: T WC 78,000
To Everything There is a Season #3 – Togetherness – by MonicaSJ
Summary: Shiloh and Adam are married and are embarking on a new life together discovering that fitting all their desires in can make for trouble as her past keeps creeping in, and as they balance the opportunities that come their way.
Rating: T Reader Alert: Some violence, mild adult situations
To Everything There is a Season #4 – Growing Pains – by MonicaSJ
Summary: Shiloh and Adam come home from their honeymoon and embark on a new life together discovering that fitting all their desires in can make for trouble as her past creeps in and as they balance the opportunities that come their way. Rated: T
To Everything, There is a Season #5 – Family Ties – by MonicaSJ
Summary: Adam and Shiloh are in their seventh month of marriage and have been busy learning the boundaries of married life and how to live with each of their busy schedules. They think the ghosts of the past are gone. They think they’ve learned to compromise. They think the worst is behind them. In life, things can change in an instant.
Rating: PG-13 Reader Alert: Some violence, mild adult situations 159,575 words
To Everything, There is a Season #6 – Life’s Demands – by MonicaSJ
Summary: Even as Adam and Shiloh celebrate the birth of their first child, a son, trouble is eminent with Hoss still partially blind, Micah fighting for his life and more work than one man or woman can handle. This is a story about setting limits while raising Cartwrights.
Rating: PG-13 152, 970 words
Reader Alert: Some violence, mild adult situations
To Face the Past #1 – by Lau
Summary: Someone came to the Ponderosa ranch and made one of the Cartwrights to face his deepest fears.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG-13
Words: 16,650
To Face the Past #2 by Lau Story Summary: This time it´s Molly´s turn to face her past.
Rating: PG
Words: 20,330
Story Summary: The last part of the story. Adam and Molly have to deal with what they discover.
Rating: PG
Words: 23,680
To Have Loved and Lost – by bahj
Summary: While leaving a gift for his father, Adam inadvertently discovers a piece of Ben’s past.
Rated: Family Friendly / Word count: 3701
Summary: Against his family’s wishes, Little Joe embarks on a journey that takes him ‘to hell and back’ in an attempt to fulfill a dying man’s last wish.
Rated: PG13 Suffering 31,100 words
To Honor Thy Father – by DebbieB
Summary: Little Joe learns to honor thy father when too many trips on thin ice leave him in dangerous waters.
Rated G WC 12,100
To Hoss with Love – by karilyn
Summary: After being rejected in romance, Hoss is amazed when the person he least expected revives his spirits.
Rated K+ 1,070 words
To Keep the Vultures at Bay – by HelenA
Summary: What the boys go through To Keep the Vultures at Bay.
Rating: K 1,475 words
Summary: Written for the April Chaps and Spurs challenge. A letter sends Joe on a journey he’d never expected to take.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 17168
Summary: Sometimes, dreams reveal more than we expect. . . .
Rated: MA WC 1100
To Let the Sun Set – by Felicity Poole
Summary: Can the family survive the repercussion of an event from long ago and words spoken in anger three days before?
Rating: PG Word Count: 19,515
Summary: A tribe rescues Joe after he attempts to protect one of their own.
Word Count: 12,600 Rated: T
To Live or to Die – by Millieshepherd
Summary: Shelia Johnson, Little Joe Cartwright’s fiancée, gets captured and held hostage by the Lassiters. A WHI for Five Sundowns to Sunup.
Rating: T Word Count: 10,268
Summary: A missing son, a mysterious note. Where was Joe? Could they find him in time, or would Ben be forced to lose a son…
Rated: K+ WC 5000.
Summary: The difference between romantic love and romancing is illustrated by the experiences of two brothers.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,618
Summary: Joe meets a woman in town, but Ben falls in love with her. The family are delighted – or are they?
9,230 words Rated: T
To Love Again #2 – Shotgun Wedding – by Rona
Summary: A hold-up of the stage he is on leads Joe to an encounter with an old nemesis. What does the future hold for the family now? This is a sequel to ‘To Love Again’, although it’s not necessary to have read that one before reading this one.
10,315 words Rated: T
Summary: A young Hoss finds out that he has a talent for nursing animals back to health. In fact, he’s been so successful at it that he thinks he can cure any and all creatures. This leads to trouble for the Cartwright brothers.
Rating: K 6,240 words
To Reach for the Stars – by Cheaux
Summary: Some wounds heal with barely a trace; others leave scars too painful to touch. Can a father know the difference?
Rated: T WC 2200
To Remember Always – by Lynnette
Synopsis: Joe returns home late from a trip and finds that Ben, realizing Joe was going to be late, has sent Hoss to Pineville in place of him. All seems well until Ben and Joe receive a telegraph from Pineville informing them of an unfortunate shootout resulting in Hoss’s death. As Ben needs time too himself to grieve, it is up to his youngest son to pick up the responsibilities around the ranch and push aside his own feelings to allow his father this time. Moving from one responsibility to the next keeps Joe from thinking about the tremendous loss he feels until a couple of days later when he comes across a letter in his father’s desk addressed to him………from his brother, Hoss.
Rating: Teen Word Count: 8,100
Summary: A LHOP Fic. While visiting his brother and sister, Charles is severely beaten. WHI for “Journey in the Spring”
Rated: K+ 2,490 words
Summary: A romance has ended badly and Joe needs to find some peace of mind.
Rated: T 2,480 words
Summary: Feeling responsible for devastating injuries suffered by Adam, Joe wants nothing more than to go back and change what happened…to set it right. But even if he should miraculously be given that chance, can he make it count?
Rated: T WC 9300
To Set the Captives Free – by Puchi Ann
Summary: When Adam returns from California, where his father still remains, he finds one brother seriously injured and the other missing. While caring for the injured, he races to solve the mystery and find his missing brother before it’s too late.
Rating: K+ Word count: 20,154
Summary: Joe and Hoss embark on a journey of discovery together.
10,390 words Rated: T
To Soar on Albatross Wings – by Krystyna — in German
Zusammenfassung: Diese Geschichte führt Candy in die Cartwright Familie ein, in der er einen ruhelosen Joe Cartwright vorfindet, der die Tatsache übelnimmt, dass sein ältester Bruder die Ponderosa verlassen hat. Adam erlebt in der Zwischenzeit seine eigenen Abenteuer, weit weg auf dem Ozean…mit dieser Geschichte startet meine Captain Cartwright Serie, vorrausgegangen ist jedoch die Geschichte I Shall Cherish You Forever.
Rating: T 68,645 words
Summary: A chance meeting with someone Ben once knew brings problems to the Ponderosa.
8,955 words Rated: T
Summary: A trip to California turns into a nightmare for the Cartwrights when Little Joe is kidnapped and held for ransom.
Rating: Strong PG-13 for violence & physical abuse 31, 320
To Teach an Old Dog – by KateP
Summary: Young Joe helps a ranch hand.
Rating: G (1,180 words)
To the One — A Poem by Adam Cartwright – by JC
My entry for the World Poetry Day March 21 Challenge — A poem by Adam Cartwright. Summary: The choices a man makes in his youth may be called into question over time.
Rating K 221 words
Summary: A glimpse of life with the Cartwrights as seen by an injured bird. A prequel.
Rated: K
Summary: Joe defies, deceives, and disobeys his father all to enter the Founder’s Day Race.
Rating: T 14,070 words
To the Victors #2 – Any Horse You Can Ride, I Can Ride Faster – by DJK
Summary: The Founder’s Day Race is long over, but a question still remains.
Rating: T 7,755 words
To the Victors #3 – Girls, Guns, and Getting Grown Part 1 – by DJK
Summary: Joe’s turning sixteen, and then there’s Helen McNally.
Rating: T 11,780 words
To the Victors #4 – Girls, Guns, and Getting Grown Part 2 – by DJK
Summary: Two families unite against an unknown assailant who injured one of their own.
Rating: T 29,020
To Wake a Sleeping Beauty – by patina
Summary: When 16-year old Adam falls asleep at the supper table after a hard week’s work, Little Joe is convinced his brother has been put under a spell by a witch. He convinces Hoss to help him try to wake Adam up using every device they can think of from the fairy tales they know.
Rating: K Word Count=5902
Summary: Adam recalls his first meeting with an old friend. A WHB for “The Ride”
Rating K+ / Word count: 1340
Summary: Adam allows five year old Joe to bring home a stray dog, not knowing the heartache that will follow.
Rating: T 5,260 words
Summary: a WHN for “A Stranger Passed This Way”
Rated: K+ 6,330 words
Summary: a WHN for “A Stranger Passed This Way”
Rated: K+ 6,330 words
Together in Darkness – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Written for the 2018 Missing Man Challenge. I have always felt that the drama of “To Die in Darkness” would have been intensified if Ben had experienced its situation with a son, rather than with Candy, much as I like him. This challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore that idea.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 14,833 words
Summary: It began with a massage and started a romance for Adam that continued through 57 chapters in 9 stories. The whole family is involved in the story with more Hoss than the others. Hoss has a serious romance in this one too. The OC’s family is also part of the story but it doesn’t get too complicated. It begins with a Massage and continues with a variety of other subjects. There are romance, family squabbles, hurt and comfort, trouble with the Paiute, intrigue, adventure, and drama,
Rating: T Word count: 104,138
Summary: Joe and Adam have been at loggerheads for weeks and Ben is tired of it all. When he and Hoss go on holiday, leaving the bickering brothers behind to sort though their problems, Adam and Joe learn the hard way just how much they actually mean to each other.
Rated: PG 12, 650 words
Summary: How do the Cartwrights enjoy a nice spring day?
Rated: G 2,050 words
Too Many Fast Guns – by DebbieB
Summary: After unsuccessfully trying to lure Little Joe into a shoot-out, seventeen-year-old Lonnie Stokes discovers a way to make the youngest Cartwright answer his challenge.
Rated PG WC 14,000
Too Much Love can Kill You – by Rona
Summary: An unknown marksman targets Joe’s family and friends. Who is behind all these attacks? And will Joe survive finding out the killer’s identity?
10,890 words Rated: T
Summary: After Ben is gravely injured, will his love for his sons be enough to save him?
Rated: T 4,630 words
Summary: Ben Cartwright’s stubborn eldest son has given him more than a few gray hairs and when Adam insists on going to help a friend with his roundup in spite of the notorious gang rumored to be in the area, Ben has a feeling he’s due to get a few more.
Rating: G (Words: 6,505)
Summary: Joe’s ego explodes after he has faced down Doc Holliday. A WHN for ‘Calamity Over the Comstock’.
Rated: K WC 8700
Topsy Turvy – by DebbieB & JennieA
Summary: When seventeen year old Joe wakes, the sun is shining bright, the birds are singing and everything is prefect in his world, that is until his bedroom door is pushed opened by a strangle little kid who looks somewhat like his older brother, Hoss. Ben suddenly appears, babe in arms and when his father refers to the infant as Little Adam, Joe realizes that his world has just been turned Topsy Turvy.
Rated: G 9,300 words
Topsy Turvy – by JennieA & DebbieB
Summary: When seventeen year old Joe wakes, the sun is shining bright, the birds are singing and everything is prefect in his world, that is until his bedroom door is pushed opened by a strangle little kid who looks somewhat like his older brother, Hoss. Ben suddenly appears, babe in arms and when his father refers to the infant as Little Adam, Joe realizes that his world has just been turned Topsy Turvy.
Rated: G 9,300 words
Summary: This is a story in an alternate universe where Hoss has a twin sister Emma. This story deals with the family immediately before and after Marie’s death. Ben loses the children’s trust when he runs off after Marie’s death. Further tragedy befalls the family and the children and Ben must pick up the pieces or forever be torn asunder as a family.
Rating: PG 21,240 words
Summary: Sequel to Bullet for a Bride. The mountain lion that caused all the trouble is still on the loose and the Cartwright brothers go to hunt it down.
8,395 words Rated: T
Touched by an Angel – by SadieSpinner Synopsis: Little Joe has disappeared once again. Desperate, Ben calls for help, it comes in a form he never expects.
Rating: G (4,100 words)
Town Hero (The) – by Puchi Ann
Summary: A grateful Virginia City wants to both reward and exploit Little Joe’s valiant defense of the town, but Adam fears his young brother may be unable to handle his sudden newfound fame. Written for BoNaNo 2021.
Rating: K+ Word count: 13, 175
Summary: It’s Christmas, in this story written by Helen Adams and the Tahoe Ladies.
Rating: K 7,135 words
Toymaker (The) – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: A Christmas Tale
Rating: K 7,025 words
Summary: Hop Sing faces a dilemma.
Rated: T Word count: 2017
Traci Series # 1 – First Love, andTragedy – by BettyHT
Summary: This is a prequel to the Traci series of stories from several years ago. This story is to explain briefly Adam’s relationship with Traci and why it ended so abruptly.
Rating: T Word Count: 2637
Traci Series # 2 – A Triangle – by BettHT
Summary: Hoss renews the family friendship with the Maxim family from Arizona, but that brings up some painful memories and trouble as well as some possibilities especially for Adam.
Rating: T Word Count: 19,803
Traci Series # 3 – Another Angle – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam’s trip to Arizona to bring his fiancé home as his wife, but first he has to resolve trouble with the Apache when the Army is unable to help him.
Rating: T Word Count: 12,468
Traci Series # 4 – A New Angle – by BettyHT
Summary: There’s a cattle drive, a worried father-in-law, a romance for Hoss, and Will and Laura come back in a mess which Ben has to help resolve.
Rating: T Word Count: 12,824
Traci Series # 5 – A Trust Troken and Fixed – by BettyHT
Summary: There’s trouble in relationships, a bank robbery, and an illness which somehow work out to resolve some family issues.
Rating: T Word Count: 7,623
Traci Series # 6 – I Still Love You – by BettyHT
Summary: Roy and Mary Coffee help Ben see his role as a father more clearly.
Rating: T Word Count: 3,414
Traci Series # 7 – The Black Egg – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam and Traci try to find peace by living in Boston but they find that it can’t erase the losses they’ve suffered.
Rating: T Word Count: 14,151
Traci Series # 8 – Another Guise – by BettyHT
Summary: There are some who want to disrupt the Ponderosa operations and will use any means to do so. Adam is the first target, but he and Joe wonder who else in the family is in the crosshairs and why. It’s a family drama as they all have to do their best to figure out the mystery villains.
Rating: T Word Count: 18,955
Traci Series # 9 – Runaways – by BettyHT
Summary: In this one, three boys from a CA reform school end up hiding on the Ponderosa and the family is caught up in their drama as the trouble that made them run away follows them to Nevada.
Rating: T Word Count: 20,512
Traci Series #10 – A Boy and His Horse – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam has to teach his son some difficult lessons when his son finds a valuable horse trapped in some barbed wire.
Rating: T Word Count: 15,038
Traci Series #11 – Frogs and Other Stuff – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam, Hoss, and Joe get a better understanding of the kinds of problems their father faced as they were growing up.
Rating: T Word Count: 9,755
Traci Series #12 – An Island – by BettyHT
Summary: A question Adam and Traci have to face is having lost one child, there is the possibility of losing another as their son begins to assert some independence. They must tread a fine line between responsible parenting and smothering, and don’t do that very well at first.
Rating: PG Word count: 7,923
Transfigurations – by MissJudy
Summary: I’ve always wondered how Adam’s life would turn out after he left the Ponderosa. This story takes a look at the later years of his life. He’s had a distinguished career as an educator, philanthropist and businessman, and is “comfortable” with where he is and not looking for more. That changes when he sees a woman fall on the sidewalk in front of him and finds out that 40 years ago, she was his student in Virginia City. While getting to know her again, he comes to realize many things about himself – in particular – that being in love again is wonderful…but never easy.
Rated: K 47,000
Summary: “WHI” for “Vengeance”. What if Adam did not stop Joe from killing Red Twilight? Joe’s quest for vengeance has devastating consequences for his family.
Rated: K+ WC 21,000
Summary: Hunting for strays ought to be easy. Ben fears the worst when disaster strikes Joe and Adam.
5,575 words Rated: T
Summary: Ben receives an unexpected visit and discovers a part of his eldest son’s private
Rated: MA WC 5300
Summary: After an attack from a Paiute tribe leaves Candy and his wife, Hannah fighting for their lives, they receive help from an unlikely ally. This is the eighth story in my Forever Reimagined series and written from Hannah’s point of view.
Rating: PG Word Count: 7,256
Trapped in Remorse – by Devonshire
Summary: A WHN scene for the episode The Trap. Booth is encouraged by Ben to visit Joe, who is still recovering from the gunfight.
Rated K+ 3,065 words
Trapper (The) – by bonanzagirl
Summary: Joe’s encounter with an old trapper turns into a harrowing adventure that tests his courage, endurance, and creativity.
Rating: PG Word count: 14600
Trapper John series- by BettyHT
Summary:
–Trapper John — Hoss meets a man in the mountains whose life intersects with the Cartwrights a number of times.
–Suspicion — Adam’s relationship with Delphine leads to a disastrous turn of events and to Adam leaving, but he meets someone important in France, and on his return, he meets
–Trapper John. –Belladonna — Murder and what to do about the murderer are at the center of the story. A threat to Adam’s family brings the situation to a crisis.
Rating: T Word count: 60,463
Treachery on the River – by SydneyFate
Summary: Adam Cartwright faces danger on the Mississippi River.
Rating: PG Word Count: 2,229
Summary: Hoss and Joe end up with old Jim Bridger’s treasure map.
Word Count: 23,100 Rated: T
Treasures of the Heart – by Texas2002
Summary: Adam Cartwright sits at the dining table while the logs glow red in the nearby fireplace. He taps a pencil on the tabletop as memories surround him. Something inside him must record these memories. He eases the pencil to the blank page of a new journal. This is what he writes.
Rating: PG Words: 98,500
Tree, Traditions, and Three Fine Sons – by pjb
Summary: All Ben Cartwright wanted was a nice, traditional Christmas…but his three fine sons had other plans… A collaborative story by dbird and pjb.
Rated: K+ WC 10,900
Trees, Traditions, and Three Fine Sons – by dbird
Summary: All Ben Cartwright wanted was a nice, traditional Christmas…but his three fine sons had other plans… A collaborative story by dbird and pjb.
Rated: K+ 10,950 words
Trial of Jessica Hardy (The) #1 – by MissJudy
Summary: Virginia City is in the middle of a trial for a woman charged with bank robbery, kidnapping and murder. There are two factors whipping the town into a frenzy of activity: If convicted, Jessica Hardy could be the first woman sentenced to hang in the United States. The second part that has left the community in turmoil is that the person she’s accused of kidnapping and murdering, is Adam Cartwright. The story is told from her perspective as she tries to convince the people on the jury that Adam was not the man they thought him to be; a man so tired and hateful of his family that he would use unthinkable methods to get away from them.
Rating: G but with adult themes Word Count: 12,600
Trial of Jessica Hardy (The) #2 – Buried Alive – by MissJudy
Summary: This is a sequel to The Trial of Jessica Hardy. Four months have passed since Adam’s disappearance and presumed death, and life has taken on a more normal flow for the Cartwright’s who have conquered their grief to find joy again. But just as things begin to even out, a series of coincidences and incidents bring them back to the woman accused of causing Adam’s death. The Cartwrights will become instrumental in helping others, while learning the truth of what happened to Adam.
Rating: T – But only for adult themes and conversations. No overt situations Word Count: 32615
Trial of Jessica Hardy (The) #3 – The Empty Casket – by Missjudy
Summary: This story picks up in San Francisco, where he has gone, hoping to find something about himself that is worth saving. He meets someone who just might understand what he’s feeling, and recognize what he’s planning to do. Can this other “man in black” save Adam from himself?
Rating: K+ Word Count: 28,000
Trials and Tribulations by LillianMontane
Summary: Joe has a hard go of it with some ranch hands. Can Adam help him through it before they do some serious damage?
Word count: 11,127
Trick or Treat – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Introducing the redhead’s children as guest stars in this Giggly Sister Special for Halloween.
Rated: K+ (2,100)
Tricks (The) #1 – The Frogs – by shlynn
Summary: Joe needs help from Hoss getting an experiment out of his room.
Rated: K+ 1,415 words
Tricks (The) #2 – The Onion – by shlynn
Summary: Joe is up to his tricks again, this time with Adam being the focus.
Rated: K+ 3,390 words
Tricks (The) #3 – Rocky Mountain Oysters – by shlynn
Summary: Adam and Hoss seek revenge on Joe for the tricks he has played on them with the frogs and onions.
Rated: K+ 5,805 words
Summary: No one signed up for the fourth, so this day was opened to all members in the Forums to try their hand at writing poetry for the season.
Rating: G 135 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Triple Cord (The) – by Krystyna
Summary: Joe insists on accompanying Ben to Boston to attend the funeral of a long-time friend; only to become separated shortly thereafter. This is story of fate, perseverance, and a family’s love.
Rating: K+ 15,950 words
Summary: A chance encounter leads to dramatic consequences for two drifters and the men they rescue—Joe and Adam Cartwright. Twenty years later, “The Crucible” still casts a dark shadow….
Drama, some mystery, WHN or, rather, What Happened Later
Rated: K+ WC 55,300
Triumph Over Adversity – by Rona
Summary: Ben buys a mine from a friend, but trouble seems to dog it. The worst happens when the mine collapses – with all three sons inside.
11,775 words Rated: T
Troll the Ancient Yuletide Carol – by patina
Summary: Sam Clemens recounts Christmas Eve activities in Virginia City for the readers of the Territorial Enterprise.
Rating: K Word Count=2546
Summary: A trip through the desert turns into a nightmare for the Cartwrights.
Rated: K+ 6,820 words
Trouble in Trigo #1 – by DianaG
Summary: After a cattle drive, Adam and Joe rest for the night in the quiet little town of Trigo, but events lead them both to regret their decision to stop there.
Rating: PG 14,050 words
Trouble in Trigo #2 – Treasure from Trigo – by DianaG
Summary: Continuing the story of Adam and Bridey. Joe helps Adam to face his feelings for Bridey and persuades him to return to Trigo.
Rating: PG 13,380 words
Trouble for a Cartwright = by Itchy
Summary: I thought it would be fun to give Adam a daughter who got into as much trouble as Little Joe. This is an account of her troubles as told by her in a Journal.
Rating: PG (mention of painting with person wearing very little)
Words: 9,500
Summary: Ben awaits an explanation, does he really want to know the ending?
Rating: 1,110 words
Trouble Magnet (The) – by Wrangler
Summary: All Ben Cartwright wanted was one day without Little Joe getting hurt in some way. Pa learns never to tempt fate again once he returns home that night.
Rating T, WC 10,618
Troubled Waters #1 – by Tauna Petit Strawn
Summary: A ‘what if’ I got off the episode “Day of Reckoning”. The story is centered on Ben, though all his sons will be in the story too. This story started after seeing the last part of the Bonanza episode “Day of Reckoning” and a ‘what if’ bee began buzzing in my ear. I realize Ben was wearing his shirt when he was staked out. I know where he was staked out at. However, those facts has been changed.
Rated: T 10,060 words
Troubled Waters #2 – Prizes – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: Mostly centered on Adam and Ben, though Hoss and Little Joe will have appearances.
Rated: T 11,535 words
Troubled Waters #3 – Phoenix – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: Suffering nightmares after his ordeal by the hands of Matsu, Adam accidentally injuries Little Joe. Fearing he’ll hurt someone else, Adam packs and goes away, leaving the family to wonder when, and if, he’ll return.
Rated T 25,140 words
Summary: Amid the harsh conditions, can the Cartwrights share true blessings?
Rating: G (3,800 words)
True Character of a Man (The) – by HazelMom
Summary: It is never wise underestimate the middle man, whether you’re ‘society’, a kidnapper, or family.
Rating: T 17,540 words
Summary: This was written as part of the March 2011 Chaps and Spurs challenge. After being injured, Joe questions his belief in trust and second chances.
Rated: K+
Summary: Joe feels that his father doesn’t trust him anymore.
Rated: K 11,125 Words
Summary: Visiting a friend in jail has consequences that Joe doesn’t expect.
8,545 words Rated: T
Summary: All Adam wanted was time on his own to do a little hunting, maybe a little reading. But what he found were trespassers ravaging the Ponderosa in the search for Gold; placing Cartwright lives in jeopardy.
Rating: K+ 9,665 words
Trust and Tight Spaces – by PSW
Summary: WHIB/WHN for The Silence at Stillwater; or, a wrongful arrest and its aftermath, as told by the reluctant arrestee.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 17,766
Summary: Missing scenes, The Trap. A man’s belief that his wife is having an affair sets events into motion that ultimately drive Joe to challenge a lawman to a gunfight; the only way he can see to prove his innocence, of the affair and of two murders.
Rated: K+ 1,440 words
Summary: All Joe Cartwright wanted was a date for the dance, instead he ends up with more trouble than he had ever thought possible.
Rated PG WC 15,000
Truth Be Told (The) – 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 13,401er
Truth Begets a Peaceful Heart – by Julee
Summary: The Cartwrights have a troublesome dispute on their hands and Adam has a new love interest, both of which, influence the day to day happenings of the entire family as they live and work together on the Ponderosa.
Rating T 91,250
Truth Foretold (The) – by Arien
Summary: In this What Happened Before to the episode “The Pure Truth,” we discover the origin of The Remedy.
Rating: K+ 2,228 words
Truth Series #1 – Truth Be Told – by BettyHT
Summary: The death of Marie and what led to it trigger years of difficulties for Adam Cartwright and his family building the Ponderosa but with trouble holding the family together. The truth can let them move forward but it takes a long time before Ben admits it.
WC = 61660 rating = T
Truth Series #2 – Truth Is What You Make It – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam finds himself in a predicament and needs his family to help him. It lets him recapture the trust he needed to feel that he was truly at home.
Rating = T WC = 19808
Truth Series #3 – Matchmaking and More Truth – by BettyHT
Summary: The first two stories in the series featured Adam, but this one showcases all the brothers in lighter story of what they can do to build their father’s dream and their own.
Rating: T Word Count: 14,525
Truth Series #4 – Half-Truths and Omissions – by BettyHT
Summary: in the last story in the series, Belle and Adam further develop their relationship, but most of the story is the mystery of Ben’s illness and how his sons react to it.
Rating: PG Word count: 6,650
Summary: Can the Cartwright family strength overcome the trouble brought to them by an ambitious man and his pretty daughter?
Rating: K+ Word Count: 9532
Truths Behind the Adam Mess-ups – by OyNebach42
Summary: Just what the title says, why Adam does things that seem… illogical. The shooting in my brother’s keeper, the hayburner race, and Adam’s leaving the Ponderosa explained.
Rated: K+
Try the Potato Salad, It’s Delicious – by mumu74
Summary: Seedlings Challenge
1,006 words Rated: K
Summary: A lost book and a lost love leads to a moment between brothers.
Rating: G 1,090 words
Summary: Joe and Adam clash over a girl. However, they both find that blood is thicker than water when the girl kidnaps Joe.
11,430 words Rated: T
Summary: Two brothers plagued by accidents and misfortune, one young man haunted by his own brothers’ deaths, a deadly outlaw with no conscience…and the Cartwright family caught in the crossfire. Follow the trail of the Nevada Territory’s most notorious outlaw through the words of Tumbleweed, a writer aiming to turn a killer into a legend, until that trail dead-ends on the Ponderosa. After the shooting stops, will tragedy be avoided, or simply rewritten?
Rated: T Word Count: 14,900
Summary: When help is desperately needed, Cochise provides it.
Rating: T
Word Count: 4,208
Turkey Day on the Ponderosa – by DebbieB & JennieA
Summary: Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and something isn’t quite right…Adam fears that his favorite holiday will be a disaster…and he has no one to blame, except Hoss and Little Joe.
Rated G WC 10,250
Turkey Day on the Ponderosa – by JennieA & DebbieB
Summary: Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and something isn’t quite right…Adam fears that his favorite holiday will be a disaster…and he has no one to blame, except Hoss and Little Joe.
Rated G WC 10,250
Summary: When family is in danger, should the past remain forgotten?
Rated: K+ Word Count: 9829
Summary: Adam had a fall at work, but things got worse until he had to give up his job and move back to the Ponderosa. There he tells his family the news. No one wants to accept it, and they keep trying to find a better answer. A French doctor offers hope, but Adam is reluctant to accept that things will go his way. The ending here is different than that in the story as published elsewhere.
Rating T Word count 16,377
Twas the Night Before Christmas – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Christmas wishes do come true for the brothers.
Rating: K 690 words
Twelve Days of Christmas (The) – by Rona
Summary: A non-serious look at the song as it might apply to the Cartwrights.
3,075 words Rated: T
Twelve Trees of Christmas (The) – Tavia42
Summary: Joe and Hoss form Cartwright Brothers’ Christmas Trees, selling trees to familiar faces all over Virginia City.
Rating: G | Word Count: 4,133
Twelve-Year Old Gunman (The) – By BettyHT
Summary: How do you get a sixteen-year-old son or a younger brother to be careful with their first pistol? You tell them the story of the oldest son and brother and his first pistol to teach them as well as make them willing to follow the rules. Written on another site as a challenge to use cowboy lingo in a story; definitions are at the end of the story.
Rating: PG Word count: 6,749
Twenty Years Hard Labor – by DebbieB
Summary: Two years after the death of his wife, Ben is found guilty of a crime he did not commit and is sentenced to a long prison term. Left with no one to help him but his father’s close friend, Charlie Devlin, Adam struggles to keep his father’s family and his empire from crumbling.
Rated G WC 20,000
Twice Told Tale (The) – by Cheaux
Summary: Adam wanted to help his brother, not kill him.
Word count: 6200 Rating: T
Twiddle Dee, Twiddle Dum – by DebbieB
Summary: Ben finds his two youngest sons doing nothing…and Adam and Hop Sing aren’t doing much either. He’s dumbfounded when he finds out just why they are doing nothing.
Rated G WC 1850
Twins… Separated at Birth – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Oh, please. No! Not them!
Rating: T 7,340 words
Summary: All because of a bank robbery. Sigh, oh what could have been. Rating: G Words: 1,650
Two Hearts, Seventeen Hands – by DebbieB
Summary: Hoss and Joe rarely argue but this time, the family is torn apart by the riff that has come between sixteen-year-old Joe and twenty-two-year-old Hoss. Hoss is heartbroken and when Joe begs to go away to college, Ben is afraid that the brothers will never find their way back to each other!
Rated G WC 16,000
Summary: While accompanying Adam on a trip to San Francisco, a young Little Joe sneaks out with their host’s daughter to see the sights.
Rated: T Word count: 10834
Two Painted Ponies # 1 – Two Painted Ponies, One Tender Heart – by DebbieB
Summary: Little Joe was always known for talking to his horse, ever wonder why and what started it? Well, here’s my theory. Be prepared for an array of mixed emotions.
Rated: PG 15,950 words
Two Painted Ponies #2 – Never Start What you Can’t Finish – by DebbieB
Summary: Second part of Two Painted Ponies, One Tender Heart. Joe’s tormentors are back and this time it’s Cochise that targeted. Will Joe be able to keep his horse safe and halt a repeat of what happened a year earlier to another beloved pinto?
Rated: G 9,880 words
Two Thousand Miles – by pbeaking
Summary: This story is centered around what it was like for 7 year old Adam out on the trail with his Pa. It covers the two thousand mile journey they made with others traveling west in search of their new life. It describes their heartaches and joys and feelings of apprehension as they pushed on day after day not truly knowing what lay ahead.
Rating: K 10,035 words
Tying One On – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Three Cartwrights look out the window in disbelief of the scene below.
Rating: K+ 840 words