Most Recent Story – Making of a Man (The) — Posted 3/8/2024 — See Summary below
A Disquiet Spirit – by Hart4Ben
Summary: An enhanced scene from The Stillness Within by Suzanne Clauser which takes place prior to Jamie’s adoption. Joe’s reflections are from The Artist. Lessons in Ben for Jamie as told by the sons.
Rating: K+ WC: 967
A Gal Named Sal #1 – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Hoss and Joe hire a new ranch hand while on a trip to purchase horses. Aware of the potential for problems with their father, they could not have imagined the stir the new hand would make.
Rating: T WC: 13926
A Gal Named Sal #2 – August Heat – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Ben and Sally escape the summer heat with a brief respite at Lake Tahoe.
Rating: MA WC: 1029
A San Francisco Encounter – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Ben Cartwright is in San Francisco on business and meets Barbara Dameron through mutual friends. He is quite taken with her, but pursuing a relationship with her could lead to unexpected danger.
Rating: T Word Count: 17,739
A Tale Within a Tale – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A descendent of the Cartwright family discovers his family history.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 2492
Summary: Ben struggles with the frustrations of middle age. Disguised as a down-on-his-luck ranch hand, he finds himself in the middle of a range war and possibly new love. Based on season 13 episode “Saddle Stiff”.
Rating: K+ 5,705 words
Ben Brown #2 – More than Enough Love – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Having only been married a short time, Ben and Kate find themselves making a life-changing decision after the death of Kate’s sister. ***Warning – spanking used for disciplining children.***
Rating: T 37,265 words
Ben Brown #3 – More Than Enough Love – Part 2 – by Hart4Ben
Summary: The Cartwright family continues to adjust to the addition Ben’s new wife, Kate and her nieces, Mary and Hannah. Will an unexpected visitor bring tension into the household?
Rating: T Word Count: 115,895
Ben Brown #4 – Ladies Day Out – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A day in the lives of Ben and Hoss Cartwright. Ben decides that his wife, Kate, and his daughter-in-law, Gabrielle, should have a day out away from the children.
Rating: K WC: 5184
Ben Brown #5 – Dog Days – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Joe is sent by his father to help a young widow. He soon has his hands full trying to find homes for the widow and her four-legged family. The 5th in the Ben Brown series.
Rating: K+ WC: 17057
Black Letter “C” (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Ben’s delirium leaves him haunted.
Word Count: 605 Rating: K+
Black Widow (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A wealthy widow comes to Virginia City seeking investment opportunities. A WHN for the season 11 episode “Long Way to Ogden” where Ben gambles the future of the Ponderosa when a convincing meat packer Emmett J. Whitney from Chicago, sets out to ruin the local cattle industry. Written from the perspective of the villainess.
Rating: T Word Count: 4056
Blessings in the Balance – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Lost in grief following Marie’s death, Ben is jolted out of his despair.
Rating: K+ WC: 871
Burden of the Oath (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Hoss struggles with how to help Doc Martin in the aftermath of the epidemic and Julia’s Bulette’s death. A WHN for The Julia Bulette Story.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1493
Summary: Hoping to be the next Governor of Nevada, Joshua Whitaker is campaigning in Virginia City. It doesn’t take long for him to take aim at the Cartwrights. An adaptation of The Big Valley season 2, episode 7 “The Target.”
Rating: K+ Word Count: 7039
Christmas Child (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: It’s Christmas on the Ponderosa with some unexpected visitors.
Rating: K Word Count: 2394
Summary: Joe is still wrestling with his fears. WHN for Season 6, Between Heaven and Earth.
Rating: K+ 589 words
Summary: While in Carson City, Joe stops for a quick drink before heading home and meets Eleanor. A challenge piece based on the song “Eleanor Rigby” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Rating: T WC: 1463
Every Day is a New Day – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A brief window into the Cartwright family if Inger had lived.
Rating: K Word Count: 1,482
Finding Christmas – by Hart4Ben
Summary: It’s Christmas and Jamie is reminiscing about his time with the Cartwrights.
Rating: K WC: 1113
Summary: The timber industry is booming. Anxious to truly use his skills and attempt to make the Ponderosa financially secure for years to come, Adam proposes constructing a narrow gauge rail line and flume from Tahoe to Empire City. But there is a price for becoming a major player in this high stakes game. Written for the 2018 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rated: T 8,870 words
For the Love of Maggie #1 – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Ben meets Margaret Jensen while traveling by train from Boston back to Virginia City. The apparent chance meeting will forever change his life.
Rating: T Word Count: 17,524
For the Love of Maggie #2 – Adrielle – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Adam is living and working in Paris during the World Exhibition of 1867. He meets a young flower vendor and is immediately smitten. The story is based on the Louis Marie De Schryver painting, La Rue Du Havre. A serial writing challenge done in short chapters.
Rating: T WC:34378
From the Murky Depths – by Hart4Ben
Summary: While Ben is away on business, Adam is in charge of his two younger brothers. Predominantly a prequel.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1001
Germantown Lady – by Hart4Ben
Summary: While Ben and young Adam are making their way west, they make a brief stop in Germantown, Ohio. An unusual festival is in progress when they arrive. Set in approximately 1834 or 1835.
Rating: K WC: 1419
Greatest of These (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: April Christopher has contracted rabies from a bite from a rabid wolf. Now more than just a dear friend, Ben is committed to being by her side for her horrific final days. A WHI for the season 12 episode “A Time to Die”.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 5,055
Home is Never Far Away – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Ben and Adam’s summertime musings following Kenny and Susan Clarke’s stay at the Ponderosa. WHN Blessed Are They.
Rating: K Word Count: 654
In Loving Remembrance – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Adam’s post canon tribute to Hoss, based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Love Changes Everything.”
Rating: K+ Word Count: 503
In the Mind’s Eye – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A farce on Bonanza FanFic with a twist.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1099
Summary: Hoss has an unusual gift for Little Joe. A prequel challenge piece.
Rating: K WC: 510
Summary: A prequel to “The Julia Bulette Story”. It attempts to explain the apparent connection between Ben and Julia.
Rating: T Word Count: 2480
Lessons in Freedom – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Young Joe is drawn into a fight at school because of feelings for a girl. A prequel inspired by the song “Me and Bobby McGee” by Kris Kristofferson.
Rating: K+ WC: 940
Summary: A post canon letter from Jamie on life, love, and gratitude. References season 14 episode First Love.
Rating = K WC = 1137
Making of a Man (the)– by Hart4Ben
Summary: This is an adaption of the Big Valley episode Boy Into Man, S2, E18 written by A. I. Bezzerides
Rating: G, Word Count: 6976
Measure of a Man (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Six year-old Little Joe gets into trouble and has a lesson to learn.
Rating: K 1,698 words
Not Too Old a Fool to Change – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A WHI for A Home For Jamie, screen play written by Jean Holloway. This piece primarily covers the gap between Jamie rescuing his grandfather and the final scene of the episode. Rating: K+ Word Count: 3933
Summary: The past inspires the true meaning of the season.
Written for the 2018 Advent Calendar
Rating: G 2,400 words
Summary: Adam and Ben’s thoughts on a special day in Adam’s life.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 509
Summary: While Hop Sing is away for a few days, Little Joe persuades Hoss to help with a surprise for their father and Adam.
Rating: K Word Count: 3695
Proverbial Chinaman (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A post-canon tribute to Hop Sing.
Rating: K Word Count: 1090
Redemption #1 – Poisoned – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A brief stop to do some fishing on the way home from a business trip could be potentially deadly for Hoss.
Rating: T Word Count: 8039
Redemption #2 – Redemption – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Having rescued Sally Nelson from a deplorable situation, Hoss and his family must help her determine her future.
Rating: T Word Count: 14,634
Redemption #3 – Atonement – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Many in Virginia City are passing judgment on Hoss and Sally without knowing all the facts. The Cartwright family has been struggling for months dealing with the fallout from their marriage. Hoss determines something has to change.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 2,445
Summary: A series of episode based reflections and life lessons by the Cartwrights.
Rating: T Word Count: 1202
Shanghai Rooster Inn (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Ben and the boys are spending the night in Placerville and are surprised when they meet the owners of the inn. A piece based on Sweet Betsy From Pike written by John A. Stone before 1858.
Rating: K WC: 670
Silk Handkerchief (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: The Cartwright sons are chatting around the campfire on the last night of a cattle drive and looking forward to having some time off.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1040
Summary: Roy Coffee’s maidenly niece shows up in Virginia City and creates quite a stir.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 5460
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
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
Valentine Nightmares – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A light-hearted look at the Cartwright men struggling with the upcoming Valentine’s Day dance.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 667
Was There A Man? – by Hart4Ben
Summary: Ben tries to make sense of Jennifer Carlisle’s sudden reintroduction into his life. Some of Ben’s thoughts during and following the season 11 episode “Is There Any Man Here?”
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1125