Click the title to read.
A Banquet of Consequences – by Carebear Summary: Newlywed Adam enjoys an evening out with his wife, followed by pleasurable adult activities at home.
Rating: MA/R (sexual content) Word Count: 4728
Summary: After the Cartwright brothers fall in love with the same woman, things don’t seem like they can get worse until the family is caught in a dangerous blizzard.
Rating: K+ WC 12,000
A Bed for the Night – by JennyG
Summary: All Adam wanted to find was a bed for the night for his father. He got a whole lot more in the bargain.
Rating: R for mature readers only 13,350 words
A Better Day Tomorrow – by DebbieB
Summary: Caught in the middle of a family argument turned ugly and having to face his own irate father, Joe bears the blunt of both family’s wrath. He isn’t the only one who learns something from the experience.
Rating: PG Deals with domestic violence 6,250 words
Summary: A story to try to answer questions left unanswered in The Crucible, it begins with Adam’s attempt to leave Kane’s camp at night. The first part is a WHIB and then it will be a WHN when Adam is rescued and has to answer some questions to himself and to his family trying to understand what happened and make sense of it.
Rating: – T WC = 13,659
A Better Thing by Far – by Justafan
Summary: This is a WHN for the episode “A Far, Far Better Thing.”
Rating: T Word Count: 6320
A Birthday Gone Wrong – by RoseCartwright
Summary: Joe’s family and his girlfriend are throwing him a surprise party. But what will Joe do when he has to search for where the party is and things go wrong, well wrong to him?
Rating: K+ 2,170 words
Summary: What is it a man needs most? Just a bit, a bit of …
Rating: K+ 1,100 words
A Bittersweet Memory of Two Pink Snowballs – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: It’s more than Hostess’ “Greatest Comeback in the History of Forever”
Rating: M 2,870 words
Summary: Joe is found badly beaten on the road. He doesn’t know how he got there. Can the Cartwrights find out in time before tragedy strikes?
Rating: K+ 10,800 words
A Blissful Night in Harmony – by Erox
Summary: Plain grub and a lumpy bed were all Ben Cartwright expected when a storm prevented his return to the Ponderosa. Set in 1882, this is an Alternative Universe story.
Rated: MA (Mature Audience) Warning: Explicit language of a sexual nature. If you are easily offended by the subject, read at your discretion. Word Count: 3000
Summary: A chipped blue plate holds memories for Ben and a lesson for his son.
Rating: K+ Word count: 1317
A Bonbon Too Far – by Sierra Girl
Summary: Beware gifts that fall into the wrong hands. When a little brother sees an opportunity to make an easy buck, trouble ensues in a fun Christmas prequel of misunderstandings, tipsy Irishmen and bonbons.
Rating: G 5,164 words
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, posted in the Forums.
A Book: A Gift of Reading – by fanofoldTVshows
Summary: A box of gifts arrives with a sender that intrigues the Cartwrights.
Rating: G 1,609 words
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, originated in the Forums.
Summary: Young Hoss Cartwright reflects on the loss of his mother. WC 550
Rating: K
A Brady Bonanza – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Brady Bonanza
Rating: T 4,360 words
A Brief Family Moment – by Krystyna
Summary: Adam’s curious … Inger’s busy … so questions are asked, but will the answers satisfy an inquisitive little boy.
Rating: G 1,070 words
A Broken Resolution – by Cheaux
Summary: Joe has every intention of keeping his New Year’s resolutions, but you know what they say about good intentions.
Rating: T 945 words
A Brother is Forever – by Dogwood
Summary: Ben’s reflections as a brother.
Rating: K 550 words
Summary: One brother has gone astray and the other two brothers have come to take him home.
Rating – G, Word Count – 1015
A Brother’s Code – by Devonshire
Summary: A WHN and WHI for ‘The Code’, where both Hoss and Joe struggle with the outcome.
Rating: K 4,120 words
A Brother’s Heartache – by Dodo
Summary: A WHN for Season 5’s Triangle. Laura Dayton has gone and there’s a heartbroken brother on the Ponderosa. But which brother?
Rating: K Word Count 2700
Summary: An accidental shooting, a mindless threat muttered in a moment of anger and a family of men all result in a lesson well learned by two Cartwright brothers.
Rating: PG 14,100 words
A Brother’s Torment #1 – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Adam isn’t talking about whatever happened to him in the desert, but a concerned younger brother has developed some unique theories to explain it. According to Little Joe, who tells the aftermath of “The Crucible” from his perspective, it’s all a matter of kerosene and water.
Rating: K+ WC 14,000
A Brother’s Torment #2 – Water for a Burning Soul – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Returning home with Little Joe, Adam Cartwright seeks his father’s help in dealing with the aftermath of his “Crucible” experience in the desert with Kane.
Rating: K+ WC 5000
A Brother’s Heartache – by AC1830
Summary: In She Walks in Beauty, Regan Miller nearly destroyed two brothers’ relationship. So what happened from the time when Hoss nearly beat Adam to death to when they reunited in Virginia City? A missing scene, or two, for She Walks in Beauty.
Rating: K+, Word Count 1430
A Brother’s Treasure – by AC1830
Summary: One brother says good-bye to another.
Rating: – K, Word count – 1446
A Bucketful of Trouble – by Krystyna
Summary: Hop Sing decides it’s time to quit! This story may be familiar to forum readers but I hope it will appeal to those newer members of Bonanzaworld who have yet to read it.
Rating: G 1,060 words
A Burning Question – by Bonanzagirl
Summary: An important question comes up after Little Joe’s first saloon visit.
Rating: PG Word count: 2080
Summary: Adam takes four-year old Little Joe on a camping trip and a lesson in vocabulary.
Rating: G 2,400 words
A Candy Floss Christmas – McFair_58
Summary: Clementine Hawkins saves the day by preventing an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction.
Rating: G 2,710 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
A Cartwright Advent – by Sibylle
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 20
Summary: Christmas traditions leads to pleasant memories from years past.
Rating: G 1,400 words
A Cartwright Christmas Carol – by PSW
This story was written for the the 2017 Advent Calendar – Days 3, 4, & 13
Summary: The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and yet to come visit the Ponderosa
Rating: G (17,400 words)
A Cartwright’s Word is a Binding Oath – by Patina
Summary: An old friend requests the Cartwrights’ help when vengeance comes calling
Rating: T Word Count: 4748
A Case of Comeuppance – by DJK
Summary: Little Joe and his friend decide a certain Annabel Hampton deserves a comeuppance.
Rating: K+ Word count: 3608
A Catalogue of Memories – Questfan
Summary: Sometimes memories need something to hold them in.
Rating: G 2,400 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: When an old friend of Ben’s suddenly shows up on his door step, will it mean more heartache for both of them, or will they finally have a chance for love? According to Hop Sing the legend of the Morning Glory hold a clue. Written for the Back to the Future challenge.
Rating; K+, Word Count: 13,044
A Change of Direction – by Dodo
Summary: A WHN for The Code.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 15,520
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 6
Summary: An unexpected visitor stirs up confusion when Adam keeps a promise.
Rating: T (2,400 words
A Child’s First Christmas – by KateP
Summary: Ben Recalls each of his sons’ first Christmas
Rating: K 620 words
A Chill in the Air – by vickic
Summary: Through their troubles the Cartwrights are gently reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.
Rating: K+ WC 8800
A Choice to Make #1 – by DebbieB
Summary: Ben is away, and Adam is planning for his wedding to the beautiful Rachel Stanrick. Joe knows something about the lovely lady that would break his brother’s heart, but he’s afraid to tell Adam. Not quite fifteen, Joe is hard pressed to know how to deal with the situation, especially since he’s been made a party to deception.
Rating: PG 18, 100 words
A Choice to Make #2 – Love at it’s Best – by DebbieB
Summary: Adam and Joe thought their woman problems were over when Adam told his fiancée, Rachel Stanrick, to get out. Who would have thought she’d have the audacity to return three years later and insist that Adam marry her? What could she possibly do that would make Adam change his mind about how he feels towards her?
Rating: PG 13 13,490 words
A Christmas Carol in Virginia City – by TracyT
Summary: Celebrate Christmas in Virginia City and uncover a mystery.
Rating: K WC 16,500
A Christmas Journey – by AC1830
Summary: As three of the Cartwrights are making their way home for Christmas, Ben becomes ill. Adam and Hoss find a rancher willing to give them refuge from the cold and snow. Little do they know, their rescuer has a connection with another journey the Cartwrights made many years earlier. Ben, Adam and Hoss find they’ve come full circle in their Christmas journeys.
Rating: = K, Word Count = 8705
A Christmas Journey Remembered – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar. Current events remind Adam of a special Christmas from the past.
Rating: K 1,190 words
Summary: All sixteen-year-old Hoss wanted for Christmas was a kiss from Ellie Miller. He was so excited he set off for the Millers’ place before his brothers. Instead of a kiss, Hoss was soon hoping for a Christmas miracle….
Rated: PG Word Count: 8081
A Christmas Meeting – by Sunrider
Summary: Created for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Rating: K 180 words
A Christmas Miracle – by Sierra Girl
Summary: On a crisp, white Christmas Day, ten-year old Little Joe startles his pa and brothers when he asks too many questions and loses his faith in miracles. It takes the help of some unlikely friends to help him believe again.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rated: K+ Word Count: 5,007
Summary: Here’s my answer to the December Chaps and Spurs challenge.
Rating: K+ WC 3100
A Christmas Story – by AdamJoeLuver
Summary: Adam and Joe are alone the week before Christmas. Joe gets sick, but can Adam help him? Finally bad news comes. Ben, Hoss, and Hop Sing might not make it home for Christmas.
Rating: G 4,475 words
A Christmas Surprise Times Two – by BettyHT
Summary: The Cartwright sons all have wishes for Christmas, and none of them get exactly what they want, but one of them especially gets something he never expected.
Rating: T Word count: 4,280
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Rating: K 420 words
A Christmas Wish – by puppycuddles
Summary: Each member of the family is important. The absence of just one or two is greatly felt, especially during the Christmas season. Ben reflects on the changes the year has brought while someone else makes a special request. A prequel story.
Rating: G Word count: 1,253
A Christmas Without Her – by mumu74
Summary: A prequel
Rating: K 1,190 words
A Circle of Family #1: The Book of Joseph – by MissJudy
Summary: Days before Adam is scheduled to leave for college, Little Joe “borrows” his older brother’s Bible and leaves it outside in the rain when his attention is drawn elsewhere. The Bible had belonged to Elizabeth and was one of the few tokens Adam had of his mother. We watch as he discovers the seemingly ruined text, and comes to grip with his loss and tries to find forgiveness. This is the first of a four part story of family love, sweet memories and the Cartwright’s way of living life to its fullest.
Rating: K WC 1800
A Circle of Family #2: The Book of Benjamin – by MissJudy
Summary: This is the second story in the A Circle of Family saga. Adam’s Bible, nearly destroyed in The Book of Joseph, has been returned in better shape than thought possible. After a thoughtful conversation with Hoss, Ben opens the Bible to the story of David and Goliath and relives a memory from a Sunday in the past when a reenactment of that story went awry. We see a young David Hoss smite the powerful Goliath Adam with a heavy wooden sword, leading to an interesting exchange between Marie and Ben as they decide how to patch the mighty Philistene’s gaping lip. This story is stand alone. It doesn’t require reading the Book of Joseph to pick up on what’s going on.
Rating: K WC 8300
A Circle of Family #3: The Book of Hoss – by MissJudy
Summary: In this third story of the A Circle of Family, Hoss faces several challenges. Adam is away at school and while life has been going pretty normally back on the Ponderosa, Hoss wakes up one Sunday morning to find that nothing is normal. Pa and Joe are both sick and Hoss has to dig deep inside to find the courage to take control of things. In the midst of it all, he must deal with self-pity, anger and the feeling that he will never be able to fill his oldest brother’s shoes. In the end, the day turns out far better than he could have expected as he finds his strength and ability is equal to the task. This story can be read without reading the first two of the series – and is a sweet look at Hoss as he comes to know himself better and finds his connection to Adam and his family.
Rating: K WC 6700
A Circle of Family #4: The Book of Adam – by MissJudy
Summary: This is the last story in the Circle of Family saga, but enjoying this one is not dependent on having read the others. Adam has been in Boston for a year and all his careful planning has done him well…until an accident while staying with Abel puts him flat on his back for a few days. It is during this time of infirmity that Marie’s Bible arrives along with letters from home. After reading them, Adam makes a heart-rending decision that leaves his grandfather reeling. This story has its comedic moments along with some sweet takes on Adam’s relationship with Abel and the family he left behind.
Rating: K+ WC 11,400
A Civilized Little War – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: For a long time, Pam kept herself in the shadows. She was there but not as outgoing as Katie nor as flamboyant as Irish. Once, walking across a casino floor behind those two, she remarked to me that she felt a lot like Hoss: the back-up and ugly duckling of the lot. I have come to realize that she is a lot like Hoss: patient, understanding and sometimes having to go the extra mile to have her star outshine the others in our constellation. And usually how she gets there is with a sly, and-not-so innocent smile. ~BTL
Rating: K Word Count: 5070
Summary: Joe defends a friend accused of murder when all the evidence is against him.
Rating: K WC 9600
A Cold Day in Hell – by McFair
Summary: Twenty-one year old Hoss Cartwright has a problem. Older brother Adam just took off into the desert without a word and Little Joe wants to follow him. Pa will have his hide, he knows. But it’s awful hard to say ‘no’ to Little Joe…
Rated PG Word count 21,317
Summary: This story contains explicit sexual images.
Rating: MA WC 3000
A Confederacy of Dunces #1 – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: A pinecone expansion that grew exponentially, this story follows Adam on a journey where he takes action to support his convictions but ends up finding out his father was mostly correct in his assessment of the War.
rating = T word count = 16,590
A Confederacy of Dunces #2 – All the Lies I Tell Myself – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: A sequel to A Confederacy of Dunces, this story is about Adam settling into life back on the Ponderosa and adjusting to his limitations. A man from Joe’s past shows up though with a plot that involves all the Cartwrights and complicates everything.
Rating = T Word count = 11,208
A Confederacy of Dunces #3 – Only One Returns – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: This story takes the family on a dangerous ride. Gunmen want to make a reputation by gunning down the fastest Cartwright, but he’s not willing to fight. They decide on a way to draw him out while another brother faces personal tragedy that makes him examine what he’s doing with his life.
Rating: T Word count: 12,774
A Confederacy of Dunces #4 – Franklin was Right – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: a continuation of the Confederacy of Dunces series, this story is about Adam adjusting to his role in life. Although there are skills he has that are admired by many, Adam faces situations in which he wants the skills he no longer has. His family is there to back him up until he makes the adjustment.
Rating = T Word count = 12,726
A Cream Colored Coat – by BettyHT
Summary: Judging a man by appearances isn’t wise especially when it’s Adam Cartwright.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,102
A Cruel Sort of Kindness – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: “Pa’d once told us boys that a person shouldn’t go into marriage thinking that they could change their spouse; they’d only tear each other apart in the end. It was a piece of advice that I’d nearly forgotten.” A missing scene from the episode The Courtship.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 625
A Cry for Freedom #1 – by JennieA
Summary: It started with Ben giving Little Joe more responsibility for the Ponderosa. Little did the family realize the course Ben was setting in motion.
Rating: R 65,725 words Due to subject matter contained in this series, this stories are only available via e:mail from the author — ryjennie@comcast.net
A Cry for Freedom #2 – Freedom from Fear – by JennieA
Summary: The aftermath of Joe’s kidnapping and subsequent rescue.
Rating: R 33,760 Due to the subject matter contained in this series, the stories are only available via e:mail from the author — ryjennie@comcast.net
A Daring Adventure Begins in the Heart – by Betty HT
Summary: When Adam meets Presha, sparks fly but interest grows too setting off a chain of events that affect both Adam and Hoss. The story was posted on another site as two stories that overlapped: Christmas Comes Only Once a Year, and Baby Blues. Those stories have been combined, edited, and expanded slightly. Rating: T Word count: 52,542
A Dark Night’s Tale – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: Joe hears things that ‘bump’ in the night….
Rating: K Word Count: 1200
A Day in the Life – A Bonanza of a Tale – by JC
Summary: A tongue-in-cheek view of a typical day for the Cartwright brothers, currently on the trail of a confidence man who suckered them during their Pa’s absence. Bonanza aficionados will find 105 episode titles embedded in the story.
Rating: T 2,550 words
Summary: Adam offers an explanation to his father about his day in town.
Rated: G Word Count: 1695
A Deadly Day – by RoseCartwright
Summary: Joe is home sick, but things go downhill for this young Cartwright.
Rating: K+ 635 words
A Debt of Honour – by Questfan
Summary: A trip back from Sacramento takes a deadly turn and Joe is separated from his brothers. Believing he caused their deaths and left traumatised, Joe is picked up by a father and daughter who are heading for California.
Rating: T Word Count: 23,769
A Debt of Kindness – by Questfan
Summary: Some debts cannot be repaid; they must be paid forward to others. A tough day for Joe leads to revelations for both Ben and Adam.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 2,340
Summary: This WHN for the Honor of Cochise actually begins when Marie tells a very young Joe that he owes his oldest brother a debt of gratitude for looking after him so well. Joe’s early attempt to repay Adam go comically awry, but finally has the chance as he sees his brother wounded in the battle with Cochise. Adam recovers from the gunshot, but struggles deeply with choices he made that put his family in jeopardy that day.
Rating: K+ WC 7200
A Decision in Ohio – by Miss Judy
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
A Degree In Engineering Can Be Deadly – by BettyHT
Summary: Written for the Thinking Man Challenge. Adam’s education gets him into a dangerous situation when bank robbers decide he’s the man they need to send into a mine and retrieve their loot from a bank robbery. One big problem, the mine tunnel is partially collapsed from an earthquake.
Rating: = PG WC = 3865
A Degree of Blame – by Barbara
Summary: After weeks of putting up with Joe’s antics, Adam jumps to conclusions when a disaster occurs on the Ponderosa
Rating: T 5,215 words
A Delusion, A Mockery, and a Snare – by Rona
Summary: Joe twice has a narrow brush with death, but it seems it isn’t Joe who is the target. Is it is ex-girlfriend? Or is it something altogether more sinister?
Rating: T 10,850 words
A Diamond in the Desert – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Hoss isn’t sure whether Little Joe’s latest get-rich-quick scheme will leave him rich beyond his boldest dreams or dead in the desert. Written for the 2018 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rated: K+ 24,400 words
A Different Conversation – by AC1830
Summary: Imagine the scene in The Ride where Adam and Ben are by the fire having a serious conversation. What if father and son discussed something totally different? This came from a dialogue-only challenge.
Rating: = K WC = 818
A Different Kind of Desert – by McFair
Summary: Fifteen-year-old Joe Cartwright dropped his gaze to the vast forest before him with its tall pines, low bushes, and tangled undergrowth – all of them buried in three to four foot high drifts. He was alone. All around him was silence and snow. Winter was a whole different kind of desert.
Rated: PG-13 for mild language and Western violence and brutality
Word count: 20,913
A Different Kind of River – by dbird
Summary: Ben and Hoss try to rescue Adam and Joe in the aftermath of a deadly flood.
Rating: K+ WC 24,000
A Different Kind of Vengeance – by Rona
Summary: After Hoss is bushwhacked and badly injured, Joe vows to find the men who did it, even though he was injured, too.
Rating: K+ 8,300 words
A Different Time, A Different Place – by GinnyF
Summary: My version of “Juliet Bulette”
Rating: MA 8,900 words
Summary: What Happened next for “Different Pines, Same Wind.” Struggling with heartache and loss, Joe receives comfort from an unexpected source.
WC 7900 Rating: T
A Dish Best Served – by Puchi Ann
Summary: The course of true love rarely runs smoothly for any Cartwright, especially when a vindictive father and son are determined to punish the one they hold responsible for their personal tragedy.
Rating: T Word Count: 70,950
A Dish Served Cold – by Questfan
Summary: A somewhat AU What Happened Instead for The First Born. While New Orleans had brought Marie into Ben’s life, it was also a breeding ground for lies, whispered rumours, family disputes and long-held hatred. It has long been said that revenge is a dish that is best served cold.
Rating: T Word Count: 63028
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 Doctor’s Work is Never Done – by VRON
Summary: With patients like the Cartwrights on your books, work can be never ending….
Rating: G Words: 3,980
Summary: A Double Life starts with a story of Adam doing a favor for a friend that becomes a career choice as Adam strikes out from the Ponderosa on a new career that is a cover for a second more dangerous career. The second part is By Crooked Paths in which someone is leaking the details of Adam’s secret life which allows those who seek vengeance to find him.
Rating: T Word count: 72,460
A Double-Negative Escapade – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: Take Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe; add a touch of grammar, confusion, and silliness and you end up with…
Rating: K+ 985 words
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 Dream Fulfilled… – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A story in six voices, which all viewers wished had happened. Within each section there will be a common thread that also ties each character to the others. At the end of each section the character and the word prompt are listed.
Rating: K 6,705 words
A Dream or a Nightmare – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam has been gone for seven years but a letter promising his return is followed by nothing except worry and trouble.
Rating: T Word count: 8,708
A Duel with Guitars – by mumu74
Summary: This is one short story, initially written in french for a challenge. The first translation wasn’t good, I decided to rework it, with the help of one beta-reader. I’m very glad to share this with you…
Rating: G WC 3730
A Family Affair – by southplains
Summary: What happens when a Cartwright loves a girl who, in turn, favors his brother? In Season 3’s ‘The Lady From Baltimore,’ Joe fell for Melinda Banning; Melinda had her eye on Adam. Things were brought to a head when Joe found Melinda and Adam together in a rather compromising tableau. To head off the unavoidable clash between the two brothers, Ben quickly found some other place for Adam to be while the Bannings were still around. But what about when Adam came home after the episode’s ending?
Rating: T WC 9300
A Far Cry from Peace – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Missing Scenes and What Happened Next for the second season episode… The Gift Told from Adam’s point of view.
5,095 words Rating: T
Summary: My entry for the April Literary Challenge…with a few additions. A missing scene from Dark Star. Ever wondered why Ben was so calm when Joe said he wanted to marry Tirza? Word Count: 1510 Rating: K+
Summary: Three discussions between a father and his sons. Just how did they get so smart?
4,725 words Rating: – K
Summary: There are some tasks a father is called upon to perform that are not as welcome as others.
Rating: K+ WC 1200
A Father’s Justified Instincts – by No1ButJoe
Summary: He was just going to retrieve the mail. What he found instead was a whole lot of trouble.
Rating: K 2,055 words
Summary: A misunderstanding causes Joe to feel his father doesn’t want him to live on The Ponderosa any more.
WC 24,000 Rating: K
A Father’s Parable – by MissJudy
Summary: When Ben finds Adam to let him know it’s time to head home from a neighbor’s party, he can see that his son is upset and trying to hide it. Although his son won’t offer any information, Ben suspects Marie knows what happened, and once home, they’re able to put together the pieces of what 15 yr old boy overheard, and why he looked so stricken. The truth makes Ben seek Adam out for a father-son talk.
Rating: K Word Count: 6024
Summary: Adam confronts Ben over his intention to go off to war.
Rating: G 975 words
A Father’s Thoughts about his Son – by pjb
Summary: A little extra bit for “Hoss and the Leprechauns.”
Rating: K WC 2000
A Father’s Work Is Never Done – by BettyHT
Summary: A series of vignettes about Ben’s role as father to three sons. There’s a mixture of humor, concern, anger, regret, and joy so it’s much like the emotions any parent might feel at various times with their children.
Rating: PG WC = 9395
Synopsis: A young Joe Cartwright must live with the fact that he’s killed his father while playing with a pistol while Adam must learn to live with his younger brother in the aftermath.
Rating: G 11,000 words
Summary: Adam wakes to find a stranger in the house and and not everything as it was before he fell asleep.
Rating: : G 2,300 words
A Few Quiet Beers with God – by BettyHT
Summary: This is a WHN for Triangle. Adam has been so quiet he is almost silent. On a trip to town following his older brother, Hoss discovers the reason for the silence.
Rating: PG Word count: 1152
A Fight and Trouble Series #1 – A Fight You Do Not Want – by BettyHT
Summary: A light drama with quite a bit of humor in the last chapters, the story focus is on Adam but all members of the family as well as Jamie and Candy play significant roles in the telling of this story. There are two OCs too who are necessary to move the story forward. There is a Part 2 which is a short follow-up story.
Rating: T Word count: 20,302
A Fight and Trouble Series #2 – Trouble Comes Looking – by BettyHT
Summary: The story is set five years later than A Fight You Do Not Want, and Adam has to recover from a tragedy and find a way to move his life forward. He has made some terrible mistakes in doing that and has to figure out how to make his life better.
Rating T and Word count 28,726
A Fistful of Regret – by DebbieB
Summary: When he accidentally punches Joe instead of Adam, Hoss is consumed with guilt. Will Joe lose his hearing? Will the youngest Cartwright ever forgive his gentle hearted brother for the injuries he sustained from the powerful blow to the side of his head? Will Hoss forgive himself or will he forever carry, a fistful of regret?
Rating: G 10,600 words
A Flame Diminished – by Calim11
Summary: This story takes place between the end of Season 13 and the beginning of Season 14. Adam has a frightening nightmare and comes home to make sure his brother’s and father are doing well. What he finds will change things forever.
Rating: K+ 11,440 words
A Flicker of Light – by AMG
Summary: Adam is blind, and he finds an unusual way to cope with it. Then things take an unexpected turn…
Rating: Teen Word Count: 7,675
Summary: My contribution to the Chaps and Spurs July Challenge using the words bucket, ignite, extinguish, pump and muster. A WHN to the episode ‘A Matter Of Circumstance’.
Word Count: 2486 Rating: K
Summary: The family assists Roy Coffee to search for a small group of bank robbers, one of whom happens to be a friend of Joe’s.
Rating: T 9,740 words
Summary: Joe and Adam have an eerie experience when they search for a missing ranch hand. One of my older stories that I thought I’d post here.
Rating: K+ 5,810 words
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 Gem Without a Price – by debpet
Summary: Virginia City’s new jewelry store is robbed and a valuable hostage is taken.
Rating: K+ WC 3000
A Ghost from the Past – by LynRobinson
Summary: A man from Ben’s past arrives at the Ponderosa dredging up painful memories for Adam, and it’s up to Little Joe to help Adam set things right.
Rating: T 11,900 words
A Ghost Passed This Way – by HarpistforHim
Summary: During the events of “A Stranger Passed This Way,” Adam struggles against his own emotions while trying to comfort Joe as they both face the grim reality of losing Hoss to the Vandervorts. A Missing Scene Story because these boys deserve some comfort.
Rating: G Word Count: 2,106
Summary: How do the three Cartwright sons react to the plight of a young woman who needs a Man of Steel? The issue arises when Joe brings home the ad from The Soiled Dove Society.
Rating: = MA word count = 2130 This is a sexually explicit story. If that offends you in any way, do not continue to the story.
Synopsis: The Cartwright family still have unresolved issues five years after the death of Marie Cartwright. Adam seeks a way to help the family heal.
Rating: G 10,200 words
A Gift for the Man Who Has Everything – by MissJudy
Summary: In the middle of a busy Christmas morning, Adam receives a request from Roy Coffee to help him investigate a possible crime in Virginia City. The case intrigues him as he follows the clues along with Roy and Paul Martin, and has a moment of agony as he begins to see the truth. In the midst of the his discoveries he receives a few unexpected reminders of the true meaning of Christmas, and is able to offer the gift of restoration. Rating: K Word Count: 10649
A Gift of Memories – by DanceDiva
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Rating: K 390 words
Summary: A trip taken in secret forces an argument between Adam and Ben.
Rating: K+ WC 1700
Summary – Marty Johnson is spunky, talented, and a dreamer. After attending art school in San Francisco, she returns home to her grandfather who is now living in Virginia City. These are two short WHN stories for The Way Station.
In Chasing Rainbows – Marty settles into her new home, and has a new dream. Will this one come true, too, or is it just another elusive rainbow?
In The Art of Life – Someone is leaving anonymous gifts around Virginia City and Adam Cartwright’s curiosity is piqued to discover who and why.
Rating: K
Word Count: 10,814
Summary: The story of a girl who is getting tired of the same things and wants a change. But will she change her mind at the end?
Rating: K+ 1,180 words
Summary: Little Joe needs a little extra care.
Rating: K WC 1300
A Glimpse Into the Future – by patina
Summary: After telling four year old Little Joe about the balls held during Mardi Gras, Marie dreams of a dance held in the future. How has life turned out for the Cartwrights? Did Adam, Hoss, and Joe turn out to be the men we know?
Rating: K+ Word Count=4115
A Good Day for a Hanging – by Krystyna
Summary: This is a story that relates events prior to the episode The Avenger, and explains how and why Adam and Ben were arrested and sentenced to hang.
Rating: K+ 53,215 words
Summary: Brothers protecting brothers, but would a better example have prevented it all?
Rating: PG (5,550 words)
A Good Man – by Charlee Ann Baker
Summary: The family readjusts after Adam returns home from college.
Rating: T Words: 11,000
Summary: Joe has his hands full trying to manage four girls who are interested in him.
Rating: K 18,275 words
A Goodyear Christmas – Heather-Chrysalis
Summary: The misadventures of Santa and Adam.
Rating: G 1,955 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
A Grand Christmas – by McFair_58
Summary: Preparations abound for Christmas on the Ponderosa
Rating: G (2,630 words)
A Grave Tale – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: A dare, a graveyard, and something evil lurking within, makes for a night that Little Joe Cartwright will never forget. A pre-series Halloween tale.
Rating: K+ Words: 1,368
A Gynecological Disaster – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: When Joe has another unfortunate accident, the doctor can’t be found. What is keeping him so busy? It can’t possibly be the birth of yet another baby – can it?
Rating: T WC 1840
A Handful of Ashes – by sklamb
Summary: After a hotel fire in Sacramento, the survivors must come to terms with what is left to them. A story for all those who have learned from personal experience that even small miracles are sometimes miracle enough.
Rating: T WC 7200
A Handful of Faith – by DebbieB
Summary: In the midst of a drought, Ben witnesses a miracle, from a most unsuspecting source.
Rating: G 2,360 word
A Hard Act to Follow – by Dodo
Summary: This story is the result of the September Writing Challenge. Joe was never a lover of school. So why is he so keen to go for once? Word Count: 3926
Rating: K+
Summary: Adam recounts a tale from his boyhood. Rated: G 3,300 words
Summary: After a cattle drive, Adam gets sick, and when Ben starts getting some of the same symptoms, Joe finds that he has to be the one making the decisions on the journey home. It’s a tough job especially because the outlaws trailing them think they have the money from the cattle drive with them. Joe has to come up with a plan or two to get them out of all these problems and save their lives.
Rating = T WC = 12,477
Summary: A WHN for the episode No Less A Man. Roy resigns as sheriff when he believes the Virginia City Town Council thinks he can’t do his job. Now Adam is the only lawman and he has to prepare for the possible arrival of the Wagner Gang.
Rating: T Word Count=10,784
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 15
Summary: The Miracle of Christmas lifts the veils of grief.
Rating: G 4,830 words
A Heart-filled Royal Flush – by EROS
Summary: Is she really the newest working girl in Virginia City? Written for the Bonanza Brand R-Rated 13th Anniversary Writing Challenge
Rating: R / Mature Audience only. Not extremely explicit, but close enough. (2,775 words)
A Hogshead of Whiskey – by JRosemary
Summary: Whiskey loosens Adam’s tongue one night and he opens up to Little Joe, giving us a glimpse into Adam’s uneven relationship with Marie.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG-13 (mature themes, serial) / Words: 4,535
A Holiday Homicide – by Puchi Ann
Summary: The Cartwrights are enjoying a festive Christmas party at the Ponderosa, when what to their wondering eyes should appear but a corpse in a closet. Oh, my and oh, dear!
Rating: K+ WC 6600 A holiday mystery written in response to a suggestion by our own bahj
A Hoss by Any Other Name – by JoanS
Summary: Joe tries to help Hoss to impress a girl, but things become complicated when Adam also gets involved.
Rating: K+ 10,225 words
A Hot Day, A Cold Lake, and A Bare Brother – by DJK
Summary: Little Joe recounts the tale of his encounter at the lake with a not so proper lady.
Rating: Teen for adult insinuations Word count: 1598
A Hot Summer Night – by SadieSpinner
Synopsis: While on their journey west, an innocent and delightful distraction leads to a night of terror for Ben and danger for three and a half year old Adam.
Rating: G 3,960 words
A House United – Book 1 – The Hardest Goodbye – by Pulitzer2016
Summary The first book in a planned series involving the Cartwrights and members of Adam’s extended family back east, including a double cousin named Josephine
Rating: K 33,830 words
A House United – Book 2 – And the War Came – by Pulitzer2016
Summary: The Civil War has broken out, and Adam travels east to attend his cousin Josie’s graduation from medical school. To get away from the danger of the war, Josie returns to the Ponderosa with Adam, where she must learn to fit in to a new way of life as she struggles to establish herself as a doctor.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 40,979
A House United – Book 3 – Thenceforward and Forever Free – by Pulitzer2016
Summary: As 1861 draws to a close, the Cartwrights enjoy their first Christmas with Josie on the Ponderosa. But 1862 brings a number of challenges, from Adam disappearing in the desert to an influenza epidemic that threatens the entire town. Meanwhile, Simon Croft continues to express romantic interest in Josie, much to Adam’s consternation. Parts inspired by “The Crucible.”
Rating: T Word Count: 50,379
A Howl in the Night – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: A WHN/WHI for the episode My Brother’s Keeper. Joe finds himself lost and alone in a forest, but is he really as alone as he thinks he is?
Rating: T – 1,300 words
A Hunting We Will Go – by ljlover2001
Summary: Hoss and Joe go on a hunting trip, but they become the hunted, not the hunters
Rating: K+ 1,340 words
SUMMARY: This began as a Pinecone but I couldn’t fit it all in there so here is the rest of the story — Little Joe Cartwright finds that having skill with a pistol and a fast draw isn’t the same as being good in a gunfight, and he has second thoughts about whether he should have gotten himself into such a predicament.
rating = T word count = 1156
Summary: Seventeen year old Adam risks his father’s anger when he brings home yet another stray, but help comes from a surprising source.
Rating: G 3,990 words
A Journey Against Time – by puppycuddles
Summary: While trying to foil a land grab scheme, Joe is wounded. Despite her own injuries, can his younger sister, Sierra, get him to a doctor in time? A sister fic, with a plot based loosely around the episodes of Land Grab and My Brothers Keeper.
Word count: 13,354 Rating: T
Summary: A missing WHN scene at the end of A Journey Remembered.
Rating: G, Word Count: 745
A Journey Revisited – by BettyHT
Summary: The trouble over Regan Miller leads to a frank discussion between Hoss and Adam and a trip to find Inger’s grave. Trouble happens along the way as the two brothers rebuild their relationship. WHN for She Walks In Beauty and somewhat for A Journey Remembered. It’s a mostly lighthearted tale and ends with a meaningful Christmas gift.
Rating: = T WC = 11,500
A Jump Through Time – by ViveAdam
Summary: Adam is accidentally transferred in Captain Kirk’s starship Enterprise, during the 23rd century.
Rating: K+ WC 9200
A Kind of Wild Justice – by KateP
Summary: What happens when someone comes looking for revenge?
Rating: K+ 17,610 words
A Kindness Cherished – by EileenK
Summary: A story of curiosity, kindness, friendship, and compassion on Adam’s part.
Rating and Reader Alerts: G
Words: 10,800
A Kiss to Die For – by DebbieB
Summary: Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, under wrong circumstances, Little Joe pays the price, not only for himself but for the beautiful Indian maiden whom he was warned to stay away from.
Rating: PG for mild violence. 11,040 words
A Lady Never Tells – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: Ben is still a handsome, charming man…. Word Count: 24800
Rating: MA – Adult themes and situations.
A Legacy Deferred – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Joe is summoned to the Ponderosa for a matter pertaining to an inheritance. Curiously, the letter and recent events in his life reveal his dissatisfaction, and thrust him on a journey of discovery.
Rating: T 16,980 words
A Lesson for Miss Sprigg – by KateP
Summary: A young Joe is having trouble at school.
Rating: K+ 4,240 words
A Lesson in Gratitude – by Sierra Girl
Summary: It takes a winter storm for Adam to appreciate what’s right in front of him. Rating: G Words 3,000 Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
A Lesson in Miracles – by Foreverfree
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 14
Summary: Sometimes, miracles granted are more than what we prayed for.
Rating: G 7,110 words
A Lesson in the Art of Appreciation – by DJK
Summary: Little Joe and his friends just wanted to see the new painting in The Red Dog saloon before the ladies of the town could have it destroyed, and all they needed was a watertight plan.
Rating: T/PG 13 Word count: 4,414
Summary: young Jamie’s thoughts are explored as he faces the shock and responsibility of crashing a wagon and killing a horse.
Written for the 2025 Chaps and Spurs Challenge
Rated: G, Word Count: 2778
A Lesson in Vocabulary – by Judy
Summary: Out of the mouths of babes.
Rated: PG
Word Count: 9942
A Letter From Adam – by Debbieb
Summary: This Mother’s Day, it’s Adam’s turn to write home and wish Pa a Happy Mother’s Day.
Rating: G 550 words
A Letter from Hoss – by DebbieB
Summary: Tricked and left with the shortest match, Hoss is the one to be away on business on Pa’s special day, but does he forget his father?
Rating: G 2,960 words
A Letter from Hoss – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: I was thinking about how due to Dan Blocker’s death the Cartwright’s lost Hoss. This short piece came to me and I had to write it down.
Rating: K 540 words
A Letter to Dickens – by BettyHT
Summary: Loosely based on the Advent 2025 stories of BettyHT and AC1830 as well as the work of Charles Dickens. Many years after Abel writes to Adam about how Elizabeth’s spirit influenced him to change, Adam pitches a story idea to Dickens.
Rating: PG Word count: 932
A Letter to Mama on Mother’s Day – by DebbieB
Summary: Joe puts his feelings on paper.
Rating: G 1,600 words
Summary: Adam and Joe run into trouble while away from the ranch. Will help arrive in time?
Rating: T 11,540 words
A Life Lived #2 – Return of a Gunfighter – by HelenB
Summary: Gunfighter Drew Maxwell returns to Virginia City.
Rating: T 13,900 words
A Lifetime of Unhappiness – by faust
Summary: Gravely hurt and completely helpless, Adam finds himself at the mercy of a person from his past who seeks nothing but revenge. And for once, there’s no chance he’ll talk his way out of it. In the end it might come down to who’s more determined; and Adam surely won’t give up. No, he won’t, will he?
7,500 words, Rating: T
A Light in the Darkness – by pony
Summary: Adam Cartwright is coming home … but the path is dark and lonely. Will there be a light at the end of the road?
Rating: K 1,355 words
A Little Bit of Heaven – a Tribute – by McFair_58
Summary: This was written for Michael Landon’s 83rd birthday. He may be gone but he will never be forgotten! Joe and Hoss have a discussion.
Word count: 1216 Rated: G
Synopsis: Imagine what might have happened if Adam and Margarita took a detour after she lost her horse.
Rating: G Words: 3,110
A Little Excitement Goes A Long Way – by Patina
Summary: There’s never a dull moment with Little Joe around. Written for the 2018 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rated: K+ 2,700 words
A Little Home Schooling – by MissJudy
Summary: This story takes place the evening after Adam’s first day filling in for Miss Scott in the episode Right is the Fourth R. While that story took a very serious turn, I thought it might be fun to examine how Adam would deal with the antics of youngsters after living in a household of adults for so many years. After facing a day of student illness, crazy questions, a black eye and a crush by a young student, Adam has to confess some shortcomings and learn a few lessons from his family.
Rating: K WC 3900
A Little Less, Next Time – by Krystyna
Summary: Joe discovers that his liking for raspshberriesh ..I mean…raspberry cordial has repercussions…
Rating: K+ 1,760 words
A Little Lesson in Engineering and Physics – by CareBear /
Summary: Prequel. Adam and Little Joe bond over a simple engineering and physics concept. When Joe later tries to apply the concept on a large scale, he reaps chaos for all three brothers. Written for the Chaps & Spurs 2025 Third Quarter Challenge.
Rating: PG Word Count: 7438
A Little Night Music – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Ever noticed the piano that materializes at Ponderosa celebrations? The Giggly Sisters investigate further as Ben organises a musical soiree.
Rating: K+ WC 2200
A Little Piece of Heaven – by Terri
Summary: It’s a very hot day and two Cartwright sons decide to go swimming naked in the lake. Unknowingly Little Joe causes Adam to give the visiting ladies a glimpse of ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’!!
Rating: T WC 2700
A Long and Twisted Path – by Sibylle
Summary: This story tells about Marie’s first time living with Ben and his two sons. The beginning wasn’t easy …
Rating: K+ 5,600
Story Summary: When Ben goes to a Military fort to see an old friend, he meets a young boy named Candy who lives there now that his parents are dead.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG for violence
Words: 10,000
Summary: A missing scene from ‘The Quest’
Rated: K+ Word Count 2300
Summary: A WHN for the episode Emily. Can a leopard really change its spots? How did Joe manage to cope with Emily living in Virginia City?
Rating: K+ 9,220 words
A Long Way from Home – by Lynnette
Summary: When Ben kills a member of the notorious Thompson gang during an attempted bank robbery, he has no idea of the danger in which he has placed his son.
Rating: PG, some violence
Words: 8,100
A Long Way to Home – by SusanG
Summary: Returning home from running a simple errand for Pa takes a dangerous detour when the stage only runs once a week, and the passengers on this one are a marshal with a prison who says no other tickets are to be sold.
Rating: T 17,215 words
Summary: A response to ML’s2012 birthday literary exercise.
Rating: K 1,255 words
A Main Character’s Nightmare — Is an Author’s Delight – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: Joe has a decision to make when the most beautified–which is a vile phrase according to Polonius–Annie K asks him to do something for her. Basically a ridiculous story for the author’s own enjoyment.
Rating: K+ 770 Words
Summary: Ben returns from a business trip to find his life has changed.
Rating: K WC 15,300
A Man Alone #2 – Inside the Mine – by Mamse5
Summary: The sequel to “A Man Alone”
Rating: K WC 10,000
A Man for Breakfast – by AC1830
Summary: When a pistol-packing stranger starts asking questions about a Cartwright the moment he hits town, Sam, the bartender, knows trouble’s bound to follow.
WC = 2093, Rating = T
A Man Named Bill – by Wrangler
Summary: Note from author: This story is dedicated to my two little sisters, Carol and Leesa. For some strange reason they still want to read this stuff from old Wrangler! This one’s for you, kids.
Rating: K+ WC 22,000
Summary: Unable to stand by and watch an injustice, Joe befriends a man and his wife, and plans to show them that not everyone is against them.
Rating: T 45, 025 words
A Man Named Missouri – by patina
Summary: Ben has hired a new hand to help with the branding. Is there more to him than meets the eye?
Rating: K Word Count=2672
A Man that Studieth Revenge – by McFair
Summary: A WHB & WHN for ‘The Last Haircut’, ‘Marie, My Love’, and ‘The Hayburner’ with a nod to ‘The Truckee Strip’ and ‘The Crucible’. Everyone in Virginia City knew Duke Miller had gotten away with murder, but there were few who knew he had done it before. At the heart of his hate lay one man and but a single goal: the complete and total destruction of Joe Cartwright.
Rated PG-13 for Western brutality and lots of angst and SJS
Word count: 72,114
A Man’s First Duty – by DianaG
Summary: Adam argues with his father and decides that he must leave the Ponderosa. Will being away from his family allow him to find what he is looking for?
Rating: PG 24,775 words
A Matter of Circumstances Continued – by SusanG
Summary: A WHN story for the episode, A Matter of Circumstances.
Rating: T 11,870 words
A Matter of Family – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A mistaken identity sends the Cartwrights on a race to save one of their own.
Rating: K 6,820 words
A Matter of Guilt – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: A WHIB (what happened in between) for the episode “A Matter of Circumstance”. Ben and Hoss worry and wait for word of Joe’s condition.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 975
Summary: Joe’s life is at stake when a soldier seeking glory captures an Indian medicine man; and it’s up to Ben and Hoss to set events to right.
Rating: G 5,820 words
A Matter of Intent – by Cheaux
Summary: A WHN for A Matter of Circumstance. Written for the Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament Round One .
Rating: T+ for subject matter. 6,840 words
Summary: Does Adam regret returning to the Ponderosa after college? Little Joe thinks he knows the answer to that question.
Rating: K+ Word count: 1218
Summary: While Joe is missing his brother at Christmas, a friend’s tragedy gives Joe a new perspective on the Christmas spirit.
Rating: – K, WC – 1281
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – by Cheaux
Summary: All Ben wanted was a night alone with his eldest. What he got was something quite different.
WC 2400
Rating: T
A Misconstrued Statement – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Hoss attempts an explanation to Ben of who is coming down the street, and why.
Rating: K+ 900 words
A Missing Scene from ‘Five Into the Wind’ – by Donna
Summary: What could’ve happened in that cave if a tied-up Joe was left with a guard…. none other than Lori Hayden.
Rating: MA – *Warning* This story is for Mature Audiences only…. if you are offended by sexual content, please do not read. 1,200 words
A Misunderstanding – by Amberfly
Summary: Little Joe overhears a conversation between his Pa and big brother and misunderstands it completely.
Rating: G Words: 1755
A Modern Cartwrights Story #1 – Windmills & Rembrances – by GinnyF & Robin
Summary: A modern-day Cartwright / Dallas cross-over: What happens when JR Ewing sets his sites on the Ponderosa.
Rating: PG-13 37,800 words
A Modern Cartwrights Story #1 – Windmills & Rembrances – by Robin & GinnyF
Summary: A modern-day Cartwright / Dallas cross-over: What happens when JR Ewing sets his sites on the Ponderosa.
Rating: PG-13 37,800 words
A Modern Cartwrights Story #2 – Substitutes in the Cemetery – by GinnyF
Summary: A continuation of A Modern Cartwrights Story.
Rating: PG 1,215 words
A Modern Cartwrights Story #3 – A Quarter’s Worth of Glory: Joe in the Infernal Machine – by Robin
Summary: Headlines ripped from the daily newspaper in this modern era tale of the Cartwrights.
Rating: K+ 775 word
A Modern Cartwrights Story #4 – A Passing Stranger – by GinnyF & Robin
Summary: This Modern Day Cartwrights story is based on the Bonanza episode “A Stranger Passed this Way”.
Rating: PG 46,475 words
A Modern Cartwrights Story #4 – A Passing Stranger – by Robin & GinnyF
Summary: This Modern Day Cartwrights story is based on the Bonanza episode “A Stranger Passed this Way”.
Rating: PG 46,475 words
A Modern Cartwrights Story #5 – Remnants of the Past – by GinnyF & Robin
Summary: Most of the action in this tale takes place in the spring and summer of 2000. We have included elements and characters who appeared in a few Bonanza episodes including “The Truckee Strip”, “Rich Man Poor Man”, “The Infernal Machine”, “The Countess”, “First Born”, “Denver McKee” and “The Abduction” as well as characters and plot lines we created for our other modern Cartwright tales.
Rating: PG 33,150 words
A Modern Cartwrights Story #5 – Remnants of the Past – by Robin & GinnyF
Summary: Most of the action in this tale takes place in the spring and summer of 2000. We have included elements and characters who appeared in a few Bonanza episodes including “The Truckee Strip”, “Rich Man Poor Man”, “The Infernal Machine”, “The Countess”, “First Born”, “Denver McKee” and “The Abduction” as well as characters and plot lines we created for our other modern Cartwright tales.
Rating: PG 33,150 words
Summary: What Happened In-Between/What Happened Next for the episode “Vengeance”
Rating: T 3,230 words
A Moment #2 – A Moment Lost – by Calim11
Summary: What Happened Next for the episode “Vengeance”
Rating: T 4,250 words
A Moment #3 – A Moment Later – by Calim11
Summary: What Happened Next for the episode “Vengeance”
Rating: T 2,800 words
A Moment #4 – A Moment Feared – by Calim11
Summary: What Happened Next for the episode “Vengeance”
Rating: T 6,200 words
A Moment #5 – A Moment Given – by Calim11
Summary: Part of the “A Moment” series and What Happened Next for the episode “Vengeance”
Rating: T 6,500 words
A Moment #6 – A Moment Revisited – by Calim11
Summary: The finale of the Moment series and What Happens Next for the episode “Vengeance”
Rating: T 9,690 words
A Moment Before Leaving – by MissJudy
Summary: This WHN for A Journey Remembered looks at a “missing page” from the journal chronicling the journey West with Inger. After reading the story to Hoss while they waited for a horse to foal, Ben finds evidence of a page that was removed and remembers that it’s kept with personal papers. When he finally has a chance to do so, he rereads the missing page and recalls what he witnessed the night after Inger died.
Rating: K+ WC 2600
A Moment Just Before Dark – by Robin
Summary: A prequel story that includes the Milfords from The Hayburner.
Rating: G 9,630 words
A Mother’s Treasures – by puppycuddles
Summary: A golden curl tied with a pink bow; a broken arrowhead; a crudely carved wooden horse; and a rough sketch of a two story log house… What do these things have in common? And what makes each one so special? Most people would say nothing, but to a mother’s heart, each of these symbolize something- or rather someone- very special.
Rating: K Word count: 5,643
A Mouthful of Regret – by patina
Summary: It’s roundup time for the Cartwrights. Heated words are exchanged between Adam and Joe as they search for steers. A bear attack, though, changes everything.
Rating: T Word Count=6472
A Moving Tale #1 – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: There’s no reason, but a story to send any woman’s heart a-fluttering.
Rating: M 3,040 words
A Moving Tale #2 – The Golden Saloon – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: How to cure a broken heart.
Rating: M 2,380 words
A Near-Perfect Courtship – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Little Joe Cartwright is surprised to find himself attracted to shy little Laurie Reynolds, the girl next door. Although she isn’t the sort of girl that normally draws his attention, he’s beginning to wonder if she just might be the one true love of his life.
Rating: K WC 22,000
Summary: When a widow moves to a small spread near Virginia City, Adam tries to be neighbourly. Meanwhile, Doctor Martin is trying to solve a medical problem.
Rating: PG Word Count: 29500
Summary: A short silly discussion about what’s wrong with Bonanza. It’s meant to be a light-hearted story and not to be taken seriously.
rating = T word count = 865
Summary: One of the Cartwrights gets a big surprise for his birthday. Written for Dan Blocker’s Birthday.
Rating: G, Word Count: 2294
A New Perspective – by Gillian
Summary: Hoss’ birthday present goes missing, and retrieving it gives both Adam and Ben an opportunity to find a new perspective on important matters in their lives.
Rating: G 9,745 words
A New Understanding – by Terri
Summary: A WHN for First Born. Adam is angry at Joe for offering to leave with Clay. Will he be able to reconcile with his youngest brother?
Rating: K+ WC 2200
A New Year, A New Resolution – by patina
Summary: Joe makes a resolution to stay out of trouble. Hoss and Adam are determined to help him break it. How long can Joe last?
Rating: K Word Count=4509
A New Year’s Renewal – by Karen
Summary: It’s the littlest things in life and the littlest one who can inspire.
Rating: K 1,045 words
A Night at the Opera – by Krystyna
Summary: A night at the Opera House in San Francisco really goes with a bang. But will Joe will able to save Adam’s life as his brother desperately seeks a way to survive.
Rating: T 15,390 words
A Night by the Lake – by KateP
Summary: A hot summer night at Lake Tahoe
Rating: K+ 2,225 words
A Night in San Francisco – by frasrgrl
Summary: June 2013 C&R Challenge. Adam and Joe are in San Francisco and all Adam wants is one night of culture.
Word Count: 502 Rating: T
A Night of Reflections – by DebbieB
Summary: With a snowstorm coming and his sons late in getting home, Ben reflects back on his life and the three wives that bore him, his sons.
Rating: G 6,000 words
A Night on His Own – by frasrgrl
Summary: This story is my contribution to the 2012 Michael Landon’s Birthday Literary Challenge to write a spooky story. On a foggy All Hallows Eve, Joe has made camp by himself. What possibly could be out beyond the fog?
Word Count: 1,686 Rating: K+
Summary: A Christmas WHI for First Born
Word Count: 1709 Rating: K+
A Note for Santa #2 – Regrets and Resolutions – by Dodo
Summary: A WHN for A Note for Santa
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1725
Summary: Young Toby’s parents have been killed in an accident, and Ben takes the boy under his wing. But Toby wants something that Joe has, and he sets out to take it away from the youngest Cartwright. Someone has been silently observing the goings on, does that person save for Joe, what Joe has feared most in his life of losing?
Rating: G 11,125 words
A Pair of Black Eyes – by JRosemary
Summary: Little Joe falls hard for a black-eyed beauty–but his crush turns to contempt as he becomes ensnared in her schemes.
Rating: PG-13 (5,450 words)
A Peaceful Easy Feeling – By BettyHT
Summary: Joe finds an ingenious way to settle a dispute with Adam, and they are both happy with the result.
Rating: PG Word count: 1009
A Peculiar Penance – by Puchi Ann
Summary: While serving a self-imposed sentence in the barn on Christmas Eve, Little Joe learns a lesson in the forgiveness that lies at the heart of Christmas.
Written for day 20 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 1903
A Peep Came this Way – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Pa should have known better than to let Jamie run an errand. A WHI for A Stranger Passed This Way.
Rating: T 13,480 words
A Penny Saved, A Lesson Learned – by pbeaking
Summary: I’ve written several prequels, but this is my first adult Cartwright story. Joe and Hoss have a falling out and Hoss is deeply hurt by Joe’s actions. Will Joe be able to make things right again?
Rating: K+ 6700
A Percolator Conniption – by AC1830
Summary: While the Cartwrights are away, Hop Sing plans a massive Spring cleaning. But his blissful time alone is soon interrupted by an unwanted visitor who brings an unexpected gift. Written for the 2025 4th Quarter Chaps and Spurs Challenge. The required words were percolate, earthquake, pipeline, surgeon, amendment.
Rating: G, Word Count: 2324
A Performance to Remember – by Puchi Ann
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 16
Summary: The citizens of Virginia City are treated to The Nativity Play, with the Cartwrights having prominent parts in the production.
Rating: G 4,000 words
A Perspective of One – by Calim11
Summary: What Happened In Between and What Happened Next for the “Honor of Cochise”
Rating: K+ 8,170 words
A Place to Belong #1 – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: An idea I got off the episode ‘Love Me Not’.
Rating: T 16,285 words
A Place to Belong #2 – Star’s Hope – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: Sequel to “A Place to Belong”
Rating: T 16,350 words
A Place to Call Home – by patina
Summary: WHN for Return to Honor. Will Cartwright adjusts to life on the Ponderosa. Written for Round 3 of the Ponderosa Poker Tournament. My words were: round up, soap making, scissors, chopping wood, and branding.
Rating: K+ Word Count=5568
A Ponderosa Christmas Carol – by Questfan
Summary: My version of Charles Dickens’ famous story, as written for the 2016 BoNaNo Challenge. Thank you to the fun group of writers who participated as it was the first time I have done anything like that.
Word Count: 7111 Rating: T
A Ponderosa Christmas… Or Maybe Not – by pjb
Summary: Have you ever wondered why we didn’t see more Cartwright Christmas episodes? Turns out, it wasn’t an oversight. . . .
Rating: PG Word count: 1,500
A Ponderosa Pine for Christmas – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam goes to Tennessee on business but finds personal concerns outweigh business considerations. A light romantic adventure. WC =10,935
Rating: = PG13
A Ponderosa Thanksgiving – by HeatherChrysalis
Summary: The Cartwright clan express their love and gratitude for each other and for the land.
Rated G Wordcount: 375
A Poor Man’s Roses – by DebbieB
Summary: Running away from your problems never solved at thing. That’s what Pa had always preached to his three sons, but now Ben was doing exactly that, running away.
Rating: G 10, 660 words
Summary: Wisdom has different faces. So has solace. Especially on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the lake. 1,300 words,
Rating: K
A Prairie Christmas – by SJRCartwright
Summary: A vignette of Christmas on the trail
Rating: G (985 words)
A Prayer in the Night – by MissJudy
Summary: Ben stands vigil as thirteen-year-old Adam lies near death with a raging fever. The father blames himself and questions his ability as a parent while offering a prayer to give his own life to spare his son’s. A stranger helps Ben face his fears and understand that parenthood takes courage and help from unexpected places.
Rating: K+ WC 4600
A Prickly Problem – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: Little Joe learns a lesson the hard way. Chaps and Spurs inspired story.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1, 371
A Private Myth – by AMG
Summary: A rather silly mix of Greek mythology and the Cartwrights…
Rating: G
Words: 2,400
A Problem with Engineering – by SadieSpinner
Synopsis: Winter in the high Sierras can be harsh, one of the most difficult aspects being the removal of deep snows that come often and heavy. The constant need to clear the area around the house, barn and other out buildings was exhausting and very time consuming. Thus, a teenage Adam with the unintentional inspiration of his new, young, enthusiastic, if unaware teacher, devised what he envisioned as the perfect method for quick removal of all the snow, alleviating the need for shoveling every few days. The story chronicles the result from a recent history lesson gone awry.
Rating: G (13,900 words)
A Promise by Ring Nose – by BettyHT
Summary: This is a prequel but not by much. It is an attempt to give background for “The Paiute War” episode and answer some questions. Why had Young Wolf developed animosity toward Adam? Why did Ring Nose agree to come back with Ben knowing he would be jailed or hanged for what had happened? Why was Wilson so intent on getting revenge on the Paiute and Adam?
Rating: = T WC = 17,962
A Proper Friend – by freyakendra
Summary: For the good folks of Virginia City, Roy Coffee is a darned good sheriff. For the Cartwrights, he is also a proper friend, as he proves to himself when his job intermixes with a tragic event on the Ponderosa. Word Count: 2400; Rating: K
A Quartet of Limericks – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Ben Cartwright reflects on his three sons in this quartet of limerick verses.
Rating: K
A Question of Beauty – by Heather-Chrysalis
Summary: A Cat and Hoss teach a hard-hearted boy about love and forgiveness.
Rating: T Wordcount: 2,228
A Question of Doubt – by KateP
Summary: Joe is left to face the future alone when the unthinkable happens.
Rating: T 16,145 words
A Question of Guilt – by Camera Chic
Summary: After an accident, Little Joe is saved by an outlaw…and then held captive by him and his gang. Joe has to decide whether to turn him in, or trust him to do the right thing…
Rating: PG-13 14, 440 words
A Question of Honor – by Karen
Summary: Joe stuns his family when he joins the Army.
Rating: T 22,790 words
A Question of Intent – by DebbieB
Summary: Was his intent purely to talk to Billy Walker, or was he actually intending to seek revenge? When the younger man is killed, and Joe is charged with murder, Joe begins to question his real intent.
Rating: R for fight scenes and death 19,860 words
A Question of Loyalty – by AMG
Summary: Adam falls into the hands of kidnappers. Will he be found, and if so, then in what condition?…
Rating: PG
Words: 5,800
A Question of Mercy – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: A What Happened Instead/What Happened in Between for the episode A Question of Strength.
Rating: K+ Includes one instance of mild language and mentions of violence Word Count: 1,466
Summary: Adam’s quick trip to the necessary results in trouble.
Rating: T Word count: 1083
A Quiet Legacy – by pjb
Summary: Even when the time together is brief, memories can last a lifetime. This story was originally published in the Bonanza 2009 Friendship Convention Anthology.
Word count: 3,500 Rating: K
Summary: A neighbor is murdered! One brother plays detective while another finds romance.
Rating: K+ 9,505 words
A Rainy Day Tale – by MissJudy
Summary: Marie and Ben’s attendance at a funeral in town leaves Adam at the Ponderosa to watch six-year-old Hoss, and seven-month-old Little Joe. The day of babysitting gets started with only minor difficulties, but takes a frightening turn as a late-season thunder storm hits the area, trapping the parents in town overnight, and making the boys rely on all that they’ve learned to get by alone.
Rating: K Word Count: 12,862
Summary: Hoss and Joe become convinced that their father intends to marry the Widow Hawkins – and that it’s up to them to save him from this terrible fate.
Rating: K+
Word Count: 8,040
Summary: What makes a Real Brother?
Rating: K+ 1,935 words
A Reversal of Roles – by DebbieB
Summary: This time it is Ben who suffers from guilt and who shoulders the blame and Joe who delivers the lecture that relives his father of his burdens.
Rating: G 15, 240 words
A Ride in the Sun; Survived – by BluewindFarm
Summary: In the tenth season episode, “A Ride in the Sun” the Cartwrights are scammed by brother/sister con artists, Tobias and April Horn. This story is told from Joe’s POV as he heads into the desert.
Rating: T 9,560 words
A Rose Also Has Thorns – by ACSPeej
Summary: New neighbors involve the Cartwrights in a prickly situation.
Rating: G 27,800 words
A Rose by Any Other Name – by McFair
Summary: The ending of the pilot has always bothered me. Would Alphaeus Troy and the mine owners really have given up that easily? What if the fight in China town had ended differently and Little Joe never made that dinner date with Lotta Crabtree…?
Rated: PG-13 Word Count: 21,226
A Rose for Abigail – by Sierra Girl
Summary: A year following the marriage of Abigail Jones and Hank Myers, the services of Cupid and Cupid Unlimited are called into action once again when the Myers’ marriage hits a rocky patch. And once more, Adam finds himself an unwilling participant—or should that be victim—in Hoss and Joe’s uproarious schemes.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 9105
Summary: Adam and Hoss have a surprise for Marie
Rating – K, Word Count – 748
A Rose for Marie – by deansgirl
Summary: Adam finally learns to accept Marie as his mother. A special Mother’s Day story, the companion story to Forever Ben Cartwright
Rating: K+ 2,850 words
A Rose for Marie – マリーのバラ – by deansgirl
Summary: This is for the International Member’s Celebration. It is my story A Rose For Marie translated into Japanese.
Rating: K+ 2,850words
Summary: Adam and Hoss think their littlest brother is a royal pain…but Ben is beginning to think all three of his sons are a royal pains, and the knowledge soon leads him to taking refuge in the hayloft.
Rating: G 9,075 words
Summary: When a man from Ben’s past returns, the Cartwrights are plagued by accidents. After Adam is badly injured, Ben decides to do something about it. But the worst is yet to come.
Rating: T 9,840 words
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 Score to Settle #1 – by DebbieB
Summary: When Joe is found unconscious and in a coma, his family has no idea how the boy was injured. A storm, a fire and a miracle, turn Ben’s long nights of worry into a happy ending. The only questions left unanswered are how and why? Only one person knows the answers, and he’s not telling.
Rating: G 10,720 words
A Score to Settle #2 – Settling the Score – by DebbieB
Summary: A month after coming out of a coma caused by a head injury, Little Joe is full of hate for the one responsible and wants to get revenge. His father however, has other plans for the persons responsible for nearly killing his son. Can father convince son that vengeance is of the Lord and not of man?
Rating: PG 12,800 words
A Score to Settle#3 – The Final Score – by DebbieB
Summary : Five years after having been sent to prison, Lucas Tatum returns to seek his own revenge on Joe Cartwright. What he does this time is far worse than a wallop on the head; he wants to make Joe suffer for what he believes was Joe’s fault. Joe learns just how badly hate can destroy a man and just how far a man filled with hate will go to seek revenge.
Rating: PG contains violence 19,150 words
A Second Chance At Love – by Adam’s Lover
Summary: After the break up with long time girlfriend, Lisa, Adam heads out to the cattleman’s convention at Dallas, Texas where he meets a spicy Dallas Assistant District Attorney, Jennifer Devereux. The two have an instant connection and fall in love, but not without drama and intrigue throughout and of course there is Lisa, the ex-girlfriend that wants Adam back. WC 92,500
Rating: MA Sexual situations as well as mild violence .
A Secret Worth Keeping – by Dodo
Summary: A late night conversation takes Ben down a road he’d long thought he would never again have to travel.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 12430
A Sense of Something Greater – by Krystyna
Summary: Ben’s attempt to escape his misery at Marie’s death leads him to an appreciation of another kind of sorrow.
Rating: G 3,725 words
A Separate Dream, Book 1: A Fresh Beginning – by Puchi Ann
Summary: This novel begins a new series, A Separate Dream, which is a companion to my Heritage of Honor books. In “A Fresh Beginning” Adam Cartwright travels east to attend college, meeting new friends and facing new challenges throughout his freshman year against the backdrop of a nation at war.
Rating: K+ 212,654 words
Summary: Adam entertains an old flame. Could it be love the second time around?
Rating: Teen Words: 750
A Shot in the Dark – by Krystyna
Summary: The question the Jury wanted answered was who shot Judd Clancy? It was a question to which the Cartwrights also required an answer as one of their own faced the charge of murder.
Rating: G 3,320 words
A Silent Shadow – by Greywolf Lupous
Summary: Joe, Candy, and two Ponderosa ranch hands run into trouble on the trail home after delivering a large string of horses.
Rating: PG
Words 16,005
Summary: Stranded miles from home, Ben and Joe face many dangers.
Rating: K+ 11,365 words
Summary: A fellow rancher asks Adam to look in on his daughter’s family who lives in California, where Adam is about to travel with a small herd. A problem has arisen is that this daughter has fallen ill while visiting her parents in Virginia City, leaving her husband with a farm to run and two young children to care for, at the busiest time of year. While that seems easy enough, the other information Adam is given about the situation at that home, and the request being made of him, is anything but simple. What he finds on arrival changes, and the roles he must assume to get this family through the frightening times, revisits feelings he’s been contending with for some time.
Rating: K (General) Word Count: 32,505
A Simple Life – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: Marie takes a moment to contemplate her life: past, present, and future.
Rated: K+ for mentions of death
Word Count: 592
A Single Wound – by Patina Summary: Danger lurks in a single wounds in a single wound
Rating: T Words: 3925
A Skeptic, A Dreamer, and A True Believer – by DJK
Summary: A skeptic, a dreamer, and a true believer set out on a journey to find gold. Written for the 2018 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rated: PG 8,890 words
A Special Blessing – by Mamse5
Summary: Ben’s awakens on Christmas morning, but what happened to his boys?
Rating: K WC 800
Summary: This story is written in tribute to my eldest brother who was left severely mentally handicapped as a result of a smallpox injection when he was a child.
Rating: K WC 9000
Summary – Ben has a special day planned for Adam.
Rating – K, Word Count – 1087
A Special Kind of Love #1 – by JoanS
Summary: Joe searches for a mother figure in his life.
Rating: K 13,770 words
A Special Kind of Love #2 – To Trust in Love – by JoanS
Summary: Joe finds it difficult to accept a new woman in Ben’s life. Sequel to ‘A Special Kind of Love’
Rating: K
Summary: A casual comment inspires a memory from Adam’s past.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: T (1,400 words)
A Spoonful of Medicine – by patina
Summary: Marie Cartwright is sick with a chest cold. Three year old Little Joe discovers her cough syrup.
Rating: K Word Count=4253
Summary: Sometimes something quite small can bring sorrow and joy at the same time.
Rating: G, Word Count: 650
A Still Small Voice – by MissJudy
Summary: Adam has been away at school for two years when he starts having vivid dreams about his youngest brother. He wonders why his memories center around Little Joe even while he misses his entire family. What he is about to find out will shake his certainty about many things and make him look for a clue hidden in his dreams.
Rating: K Word Count 22490
Summary: Christmas is a season for surprises, especially when one of Ben’s hidden talents helps out two special ladies in his life.
Written for day 16 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 2485
A Stitch in Time – by sandspur
Summary: Joe lies dying of injuries 19th century medicine could never cure while Adam, given a cryptic clue from an ancient fraternal feud, searches for help 100+ years in the future..
Rating: T
A Stitch in Time – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Ever wondered where all those cloths that miraculously appear to mop fevered brows actually come from? When Joe has another unfortunate accident, the Giggly Sisters reveal all.
Rating: K+ WC 2150
A Stop Along the Way – by bahj
Summary: Sometimes, it’s the littlest things in the smallest places that make the biggest impact. To young Adam Cartwright, Galesburg, Ill. is just another stop on the long journey West, but this time his life will be changed forever.
Rating: K Word count: 42,700
A Stop at the Shady Villa – by JC
Summary: A Saturday night visit to the saloon has terrible consequences for Joe.
Rating: PG Word count: 11000
A Story of a Gentle Man – by Krystyna
Summary: A story of how Hop Sing came to join the Cartwright family.
Rating: T 6,870 words
A Stranger Came to Stay – by Puchi Ann
Summary: What if Hoss had not regained his memory during his overnight stop at the Ponderosa and had, instead, gone off with the Vandervorts? Could he ever find his way back to himself again and how would the other Cartwrights cope with a loss that might become permanent? Discover the answers in this WHI version of “A Stranger Passed This Way.”
Rating: K 26,269 words
A Stranger in the House – by DebbieB
Summary:The last time that Little Joe sees his father is when Ben yells at him to jump seconds before their wagon careens down a steep ravine. Little Joe is found badly wounded and brought home to his brothers……..but what about his father? Ben has vanished and Joe’s grief is more life threatening than the injuries he suffered from the accident.
Rating: G 12,440 words
A Stranger Passed this Way – by Rona
Summary: Epilogue. What happened when the Cartwrights went back into the house at the end of the episode.
Rating: K 2,440 words
A Stranger Returns #1 – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: A what if I got off the episode “A Stranger Passed This Way”, mainly what if the Vandervorts had already been in the process of moving when they found Hoss? Little Joe and Candy will also make appearances in the story.
Rating: K+ 15,460 words
A Stranger Returns #2 – Coming Home – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: While all the Cartwrights will be mentioned and shown at times, it center mostly on Hoss, Adam and their families.
Rating: K+ 5,860 words
A Stray Named Muffin – by wx4rmk
Summary: A simple trip into town turns into something that will change the Cartwright’s lives forever.
Rating: K+ / Word Count: 1821
A String of Bad Luck – by Mamse5
Summary: It’s just one of those days, and nothing’s going right for Little Joe. But things go from bad to worse when he tries to ride an unruly bronc. Will a simple comedy of errors turn into something much more serious?
Rating: K 7100
Summary: Adam, Hoss and Little Joe stop to help a woman travelling alone. Their act of kindness brings with it a storm of emotions, and a revelation for their father.
Rating: G 30,615 words
Summary: A hot day, a melting pig, and Joe wants to know about the birds and the bees.
Rating: G 1,390 words
Summary: A traveling rodeo comes to town and Joe enters the competition.
Rating: K 8,475 words
Summary: Two men plan are entrusted with a plan to kidnap one of Ben’s sons and hold him for ransom.
Rating: K Word Count=5950
A Surprise Birthday – by Terri
Summary: Joe is celebrating an important birthday, but will his family allow him to become a man?
Rating: K+ WC 3000
A Surprise Delivery – by Questfan
Summary: A winter storm, a broken-down shack and a couple of strangers in need makes for a different kind of Christmas celebration.
Rating: G Words 2,700
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary – Ben discovers a surprising friendship when he gets maneuvered into helping out a friend. Written for the 2026 Lorne Greene Birthday Challenge.
Rating: G; Word Count: 785
A Switch in His Shoe – by McFair
Summary: Written in honor of Dan Blocker’s birthday. The Hoffmeisters have come to the Ponderosa for their annual December visit bringing tales of Germany’s Wienachsten and its mystical creatures. As strange things begin to happen, young Hoss Cartwright becomes convinced that St. Nick’s man-servant, a feller he calls ‘K-necked Rupert’, has come to bring judgement on them all.
Rating: G 14,550 words
A Tale of Four Brothers – by MissJudy
Summary: Adam and Hoss seem to have vanished while on their way to Placerville for ranch business, leaving Ben and Joe to search for what might have happened. What they can’t imagine is that the lost Cartwrights were left for dead by two brothers who had once worked on the Ponderosa. Hoss and Adam’s lives depend on being rescued quickly, but their situation stacks the odd against that happening, forcing Adam to make a decision that may leave the family short one son.
Word Count: 23,425 Rating: K+
A Tale of Two Feathers #1 – by DebbieB
Summary: Joe learns that compassion and understanding are the footnotes to love; and that love can destroy the hate in a man’s heart, give renewal to a man’s spirit as it binds two unlikely souls in a most unusual friendship between a young man and a hardened Pauite warrior.
Rating: PG 21, 330 words
A Tale of Two Feathers #2 – A Winter of Hope – by DebbieB
Summary: Ben has no idea what has happened to his youngest son, only that Joe has been missing for weeks. Forced by impending snow, Ben calls off his search and returns home without finding a trace of the young boy whom he loves dearly. Heartbroken and defeated, his son’s fate unknown, Ben is forced to wait out the long, lonely winter, his winter of hope.
Rating: PG 12,650 words
A Tale of Two Feathers #3 – An Old Acquaintance – by DebbieB
Summary:. Joe is reunited with his old friend, the Paiute chief, Two Feathers, in a most unusual way. This time, it is up to the Indian to teach Joe how to forgive and how to stop hating.
Rating: PG13 13,600 words
A Tale of Two Feathers #4 – A Final Goodbye – by DebbieB
Summary: Joe sets off on an adventure to visit his old friend, Two Feathers. Not long after arriving at the Paiute village, Joe is told of a vision that the chief has had, one that spells disaster for the entire Indian village. When the vision becomes reality and Two Feathers dies while being held in the arms of his young friend, Joe, heart broken, must now face the future without his dearest friend.
Rating: PG 13,100 words
A Tale Told by an Idiot – by McFair
Summary: It is 1875. Two years later, Joe Cartwright’s inability to cope with his wife’s death is ruining his life. His Pa thinks getting away might be the answer. Little does Ben know that his decision will put Joe’s life in danger, as well as the lives of the Ingalls’ family who take a wounded Joe in and bring the wrath of a man who hates him down on their heads.
Rating: PG-13 for violence, brutality and adult situations 54,680 words
A Tale Within a Tale – by Hart4Ben
Summary: A descendent of the Cartwright family discovers his family history.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 2492
Summary: A What Happened Instead story for The Lady From Baltimore. Deborah Banning’s scheme to marry her daughter to a Cartwright had come to fruition when Joe proposed to Melinda. But Melinda was in love with Adam. What if Melinda decided to have Adam, no matter the cost?
Word Count=10,632 Rating: T
A Taste of Southern Sugar – by BnzaGal
Summary: A sweet little ol’ lady arrives on the stage and befriends Hoss and Joe. Who would have guessed that such a sweet woman could be such a deranged killer?
Rating: T 15,765 words
A Taste of Strawberries – by iceangelmkx
Summary: Joe and his girl have a little fun with strawberries. *Written for Ma Hoad’s Valentine R Challenge!* Warning!: Contains explicit scenes of a sexual nature. Please be advised before reading!
Rating: MA WC 6700
A Thawing Heart – by BluewindFarm
Summary: An old cowpoke went riding out one bright and snow-filled day, and found something he didn’t realize he was missing.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,115
A Thousand Little Things – by Harper
Summary: Joe and an injured Adam struggle to return a murderer to justice, but someone will do anything to get revenge. A WHN for “The Hanging Posse.”
Rating: K+ 14,695 words
Summary: Three vignettes from the time after Inger Cartwright’s death.
Rating: K+ Word count: 2580
Summary: This is the first in a series of stories portraying a Bonanza future after Adam’s return to the Ponderosa. Expect joys, sorrows, adventures, marriages, births, deaths, and the enduring love within the Cartwright family.
Rating: T 15,430 words
Summary: An alternative ending to the episode. Could Ben forgive Dan Tolliver so easily?
Rating: K+ 4,195 words
A Tiny Preprandial Tale – by Puchi Ann
Summary: An old short story, which I was inspired to post by the Dan Blocker Literary Birthday Challenge. It was originally written in response to a challenge to use the word “preprandial” in a story.
Word Count: 770 Rating: K
A Toast to Tradition – Part 1 – by Cheaux
Summary: A missing ornament threatens holiday traditions for the Cartwrights.
Rating: G words 2,530
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
A Toast to Tradition – Part 2 – by Cheaux Summary: Memories and traditions bring comfort and joy during Hanukkah and Christmas.
Rating: G Words 2,411
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: Like a stitch in time, Ben remembers a few special moments through the years.
Rating: K+ 1,050 words
A Travesty of Justice – by Dodo
Summary: WHN for The Quality Of Mercy….The trial of Seth Pruitt and its aftermath.
Word Count: 25690 Rating: T
Summary: Adam remembers a gift given to him last Christmas.
Rating: K+ 595 words
Summary: This is a Father’s Day tribute to our favorite Dad, and to all the dads and kids everywhere.
Rating: K WC = 1694
A Trip to Town – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: The Giggly Sisters go to town with the Cartwrights in more ways than one .
Rating: MA WC 2500
A True Cartwright – by freyakendra
Summary: The Ponderosa sets the stage for a kangaroo court that puts Ben on trial and puts a pubescent Joe through a whole lot of trouble.
Rated: T Word Count: 14,000
A Very Present Help – by Gillian
Summary: A stranger hired on to help when the Cartwrights find themselves shorthanded has a secret.
Rating: T 5,925 words
A Visit and a Cup of Tea – by mumu74
Summary: What could a 17-year-old Adam do to avoid chores ?
A Voice in the Night – by Patina
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 9
Summary: On this of all nights, an unexpected voice offers comfort to an weary traveler.
Rating: G (1,460 words)
Summary: Far from home, Joe is charged with a crime he didn’t commit, and the dead man’s brother wants justice…or is it revenge?
Rating: T 14,525 words
A Warm Place in Your Heart – by Camera Chic
Summary: The family starts to heal after the loss of Marie, as Adam strives to be strong for his family.
Rating: G 1,310 words
A Waterlily From Inger – by wx4rmk
Summary: When a possession of Inger’s finally gets returned, it spurs some new feelings and long-forgotten memories for Adam.
Rating: K / Word Count: 2015
A Winter Evening – a Christmas poem – by KateP
Summary: A Christmas wish
Rating: G (160 words)
Summary: Caught in a storm together, Adam and Joe reminisce.
Rating: K+ 2,100 words
Summary: Insightful observations from the Journal of Hop Sing
Rating: G WC: 445
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Did Adam really shoot Joe by accident in My Brother’s Keeper? Or was there something more sinister going on? the Giggly Sisters investigate.
Rating: K+ 1,575 words
A Woman Cloaked in Scandal – by patina
Summary: WHIB for She Walks in Beauty. After Regan Miller’s kiss, Adam realizes he has a decision to make since Hoss plans to marry her. As he ponders his course of action, his thoughts turn to another scandalous woman–his step-mother, Marie.
Rating: K+ Word Count=2195
Summary: A face from the past comes back to haunt Adam.
Rating: K+ 11,760 words
A World of Hurt – by southplains
Summary: Failing to heed Adam’s advice, Joe leads his brothers and himself into harm’s way.
Rating: T WC 15,600
A World Turned Upside Down – by Krystyna
Summary: Little Joe Cartwright can’t believe it when Clay Stafford enters his life again …nor can his brothers for very different reasons. Is Clay back for good? Are his motives honest and above board? And who is the man with whom he keeps in contact?
Rating: T 55,545 words
Summary: It’s an Adam has left the Ponderosa for adventure and finds a romance story, but like any Adam story, there are always complications. Adam is in Boston pursuing a dream, but there are obstacles including corruption, pressure, and conflict. He does gain friends who will be his allies and more.
Rating: T 17,022
A Wreath of Blessings – by PuchiAnn
Summary: Summary: A poem originally inspired by a Christmas card showing a wreath made from pine branches and cones and sent out years ago to Bonanza friends.
Word count: 122
Summary: While working on the Ponderosa, Little Joe is kidnapped.
Word Count: 5700 Rated: T
Abigail, My Love – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: Hoss, his pa and brothers sit by the bedside of Hoss’ wife, Abigail, praying she recovers from a bank robber’s bullet. As they wait, they reminisce.
Rating: T 15,800 words
Summary: An argument, an impasse, and the truth that really matters.
Rating: K+ WC 2700
Summary: WHN for Death at Dawn Adam’s brothers didn’t stick with him and he put his father’s life on the line. How would you feel after it was all over?
Rating: K+ 5,190 words
Summary: Joe is accused and goes on trial for murder.
Rating: G
Words: 23,600
Summary: An accusation by a girl could tear Joe’s world apart.
Rated: T 34,195 words
Summary: A poker game leads to some dire problems for Adam, but with the family members helping, a solution is found for those problems and for the ones that led up to that situation.
Rating: T Word count: 11,327
Act of Living (The) – by Foreverfree
Summary: WHN for The Truckee Strip. Unable to cope with Amy’s death, Joe has withdrawn from his family and shut everybody out. Will a trip alone to Placerville prove beneficial or disastrous?
Rating: T Word Count: 9754
Adam & Sam #1 – Adam’s Journey of Memories – by acspeej
Summary: After being thrown by a wild mustang, Adam suffers total amnesia. A specialist from San Francisco is summoned – and the specialist turns out to be a sassy, out-spoken but empathetic young woman. As she and Adam spend time together, watch as the two hard-heads become emotionally involved.
Rating: T 20,060 words
Adam & Sam #2 – Adam’s Surprise Visitor – by acspeej
Summary: This is a sequel to “Adam’s Journey of Memories.” Sam returns to Virginia City to help Doc Martin and also to try to rekindle the romance with Adam. But Adam is involved with another woman. Sam’s life is in danger, but who is the culprit?
Rating: T 53,215 words
Adam & Sam #3 – Adam’s Angels – by acspeej
Summary: This sequel to “Adam’s Surprise Visitor” deals with Adam and Sam’s marriage and with living on Adam’s ranch – “The Pines.” Everything is perfect with the new couple. But there is a plot to destroy this relationship, and Sam finds her very life in peril once again.
Rating: T 34,455 words
Adam & Sam #4 – Bringing Up Babies – by acspeej
Summary: A number of years have passed and we now find Sam and Adam with two small children. Sam and Adam learn that little children have thoughts of their own and don’t bother to keep their knowledge to themselves.
Rating: K+ 12,695 words
Summary: Dégoûté par la trahison de laura, Adam quitte Ponderosa. Ses pas vont le mener à Paris où l’attendent la réussite et l’amour.
Rating: K+ WC 25,000
Summary: Adam and his wife settle into life on the Ponderosa.
Rating: T Words: 9,870
Adam and Ruth – #1 – The Beginning – by Bonanzaluver
Summary: This is the first story in what will be my “Adam and Ruth”series based on the episodes “The Savage” and “Truckee Strip”. Some time after they are sepa
Rating: by the Shoshones, Adam decides to go after Ruth and bring her home. What happens next will be the beginning of the long road of their love. Meanwhile, Joe and Amy are fighting for a happy ending of their own. Enjoy! Comments welcome and appreciated!
Rating: K+ 13,290 words
Adam and Ruth – #2 – The Darker Side of the Moon – by Bonanzaluver
Summary: After a month of courting, Adam decides to take that pivotal step which leads them on a new adventure resulting in the wedding of the year taking place on the Ponderosa.
Rating: K+ 20,445 words
Adam and Ruth – #3 – In a Time of Miracles – by Bonanzaluver
Summary: Adam and Ruth have enjoyed almost a full year of marriage but something seems to be missing and the other ‘ladies’ of Virginia City don’t seem to want to leave her alone about it. Meanwhile in an effort to make a little extra money for the couple, Adam takes a risky job unaware of who is really running it.
Rating: K+ 14,980 words
Adam and Storm #1: Return to England – by storm
Summary: I have always felt that there would be only one type of woman for Adam or any man but many ways for them to meet. Here is one way in which I feel they might have met. I hope you can find one to your liking. In this version an old friend of the Cartwrights returns to Nevada to keep a promise finding that sometimes nightmares are only bad dreams.
112.975 words Rating: MA
Adam and Storm #2: The Special Rope – by storm
Summary: This is yet another way in which I believe Storm and Adam may have met. I hope you’re not getting too bored with these stories. In this version Adam is forced to admit to something but comes to realize it may be the only way he ever would have.
Rating: MA WC 50,300
Adam and Storm #3: Foolish Questions – by storm
Summary: Here is another way in which Adam and Storm could have met. In this one Adam finds out that sometimes the answers are more important than the questions.
Rating: MA 45,990 words
Adam and Storm #4: Ante Up – by storm
Summary: In this version of Adam and Storm’s first meeting and life Adam finds out that sometimes the one we save ends up being our savior.
Rating: MA 78,205 words
Adam and Storm #5: Love Lost, Destiny Found – by storm
Summary: In this story Storm returns to Nevada with hopes that her past will help her deal with her future only to find that her past is her future.
Rating: MA 54,711 word
Adam and the Chain Gang – by JennyG
Summary: A dark story. Snake bitten on the trail, Adam is captured by white slavers, tortured by his twisted captors and sold into hard labor in Canada while his frantic family searches for him.
Rating: PG-13 Violence and abnormal psychology 48,740 words
Adam and the Chocolate Bookworm – by Heather-Chrysalis
Summary: Chocolate, poetry and Adam…what more could you want for a Winter’s tale. Adam is in his final year at Harvard and visits Boston where he meets a very special young lady. WIP title: A Season of Chocolate and Poetry.
Rated: T Wordcount: 59, 991
Adam and the Christmas Hippopotamus – by Heather-Chrysalis
Summary: While on his journey out west with his Pa, five-year-old Adam asks Santa for a very special Christmas present.
Rating G 9400 words
Adam and the Imp of Satan #1 – by DJK
Summary: It’s been five years since Abigail Warner’s first visit, and Adam’s proclamation.
Rating: T 14,820 words
Adam and the Imp of Satan #2 – The Imp, Some Demons, and a Few Short Lists – by DJK
Summary: Abigail Warner has returned, just in time for the trial.
Rating: T 19,070 words
Adam and the Saloon Gals – by BettyHT
Summary: This is a series of four stories that can each stand alone, but follow chronologically. Angela’s Story — Acting in a wholly uncharacteristic way, Adam meets a saloon girl on a trip and begins to fall in love, but will the Cartwright Curse strike again? Who Are You? — What would happen if you lost some of your short-term memory and it never came back? Adam has to deal with it in this story, and Angela suffers too even as the family tries to help both of them. Travels and Travails — Adam and Angela travel to Arizona to see her family and must face problems that emerge because of her past and new issues. Helen and Hoss – A Hoss story although all the other family members are included. Helen Layton returns. That Hoss will be hurt again is what his family fears, but then they have a series of problems to face as they seek a happy ending. Rating: T Word count: 71,173
Adam and the Stagecoach – by Grimesgirl
Summary: What could be so difficult in helping out a friend?
Rating: K 1,090 words
Adam Discovers Secrets – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: The pitfalls and nightmares of being the eldest.
Rating: T 3,025 words
Summary: Adam est parti visiter le monde. Il termine son périple par la France.
Rating: K+ 619 words
Adam in the Outback # 1 – My True Love Hath My Heart Part 1 – by Deborah
Summary: This story is one explanation of why Adam might have settled in Australia as posited in the Bonanza sequels. This is the first story in my “Adam in the Outback” series.
Rating: T WC 32,000
Adam in the Outback # 2 – My True Love Hath My Heart Part 2 – by Deborah
Summary: Adam and Bronwen adjust to parenthood and life in the outback in the second of my “Adam in the Outback” series 2 of 16 .
Rating: T WC 30,000
Adam in the Outback # 3 – My True Love Hath My Heart Part 3 – by Deborah
Summary: This is the third story in my “Adam in the Outback” series. Adam and Bronwen learn that being the parents of two little girls only 10 months apart is not easy.
Rating: T WC 22,200
Adam in the Outback # 4 – Family Reunion – by Deborah
Summary: Adam, Bronwen and their daughters visit the Ponderosa. The fourth story in my “Adam in the Outback” series.
Rating: T WC 18,500
Adam in the Outback # 5 – Cartwright is the Name – by Deborah
Summary: This story takes place in 1883, and is the fifth story in my “Adam in the Outback” series. It tells of Adam, Bronwen and their daughters’ second visit to the Ponderosa.
Rating: K+ WC 25,000
Adam in the Outback # 6 – A Son and Heir – by Deborah
Summary: This is the sixth story in my “Adam in the Outback” series. After four daughters, will Adam and Bronwen finally have a son?
Rating: T WC 29,000
Adam in the Outback # 7 – The Country of the Heart – by Deborah
Summary: This is the seventh story in my Adam in the Outback series. The year 1889 is one of many reunions among family and friends of the Cartwrights when Adam and Bronwen bring their five children to visit the Ponderosa.
Rating: K+ WC 67,500
Adam in the Outback # 8 – To Bloom in Another Man’s Garden #1 – by Deborah
Summary: This is the eighth story in my “Adam in the Outback” series. Adam must deal with the fact that his little girls are becoming young women.
Rating: T
Adam in the Outback # 9 – To Bloom in Another Man’s Garden #2 – by Deborah
Summary: This is the ninth story in my “Adam in the Outback” series. Will Adam and Bronwen survive three teen-aged daughters? Are there wedding bells in Beth’s future? Will Miranda cope with living in Boston without her family? All these question are answered in Part 2.
Rating: T WC 53,300
Adam in the Outback #10 – In Memoriam – by Deborah
Summary: Adam and Bronwen experience the most devastating loss any parent has to face. They, and the rest of the Cartwright family, must struggle to accept their loss and deal with their grief.
Rating: T WC 54,000
Adam in the Outback #11 – The Marriage of True Minds #1 – by Deborah
Summary: Part 1 takes place during 1894 through 1896.
Rating: T WC 49,000
Adam in the Outback #12 – The Marriage of True Minds #2 – by Deborah
Summary: Part 2 takes place during 1896 through 1898.
Rating: T WC 47,000
Adam in the Outback #13 – The Marriage of True Minds #3 – by Deborah
Summary: Part 3 covers the years 1898 through 1901—a time of weddings and births for the Australian Cartwrights.
Rating: T WC 76,000
Adam in the Outback #14 – The Joys of Parents – by Deborah
Summary: Adam and Bronwen discover raising a teenage son is every bit as challenging as raising daughters.
Rating: K+ WC 46,400
Adam in the Outback #15 – Grow Old Along With Me – by Deborah
Summary: A.C. is off to the Technical College in Sydney, leaving Adam and Bronwen alone for the first time in 31 years. A secret that has been hidden for many years is about to be revealed.
Rating: T WC 49,000
Adam in the Outback #16 – The Best is Yet To Be – by Deborah
Summary: This is the sixteenth and final story in my “Adam in the Outback” series. It begins in 1908, two years later. However, there is one last story, told as a flash-back.
Rating: T 97,221 words
Adam in the Outback #17 – O Tannenbaum – by Deborah
Summary: In a flashback, Adam tells his grandchildren the story of the Cartwright’s first Christmas tree.
Rating: K 19,700 words
Adam in Wonderland – by Barbara
Summary: Anxious to return home, Adam takes a detour that leaves the family to fear the worst.
Rating: K 3,820 words
Adam Just and Aida – by BettyHT
Summary: Sexually explicit sections in the story that explains why Adam has been gone from the Ponderosa for eight years. It is Adam centric but the other Cartwrights have significant parts in the story as well.
WC = 36250 Rating: MA.
Adam Just and Aida stories – by BettyHT
Summary: Four Adam and Aida stories; sequels to Adam Just and Aida. The first, Hallucinations, pits Adam against a sinister and clever enemy. The second is meeting between Adam and Aida’s family. The third is a Christmas story in which things just don’t go as planned. The fourth is a story of what happens when some seek to deceive and others make mistakes; Candy also has a romance in that one.
Rating: = T WC = 60,527
Adam Knows a Secret – by BettyHT
Camp In the Pines 2015 challenge story. Adam holds a secret but can’t tell because of injuries so it is up to his brothers and father to try work out who hurt him, why, what they might do next, but most importantly, how to stop them. It’s his youngest brother who proves to be invaluable in working out what they have to do until the oldest can recover enough to tell them what he knows.
Rating: = T WC = 13,018
Adam Through The Ages – by BettyHT
Summary: A series of stories about Adam after college from ages twenty-three to twenty-right and then from thirty-five to forty with troubles within the family as well as against outsiders who want something from the Cartwrights. The chapters follow one another but each one could stand on its own as a complete story.
WC = 218,113 Rating: = T
Adam: The Early Years #1 – The World was all Before Them – by Deborah
Summary: This is the first of my series of stories about Adam. It begins with his birth and ends shortly before he and Ben meet Inger Borgstrom.
Rating: K WC 21,400
Adam: The Early Years #2 – A Real Nice Lady – by Deborah
Summary: This is the episode “Inger, My Love” told from the point of view of five-year-old Adam.
Rating: K+ 12,340 words
Adam: The Early Years #3 – A Gentleman and a Scholar Part 1 – by Deborah
Summary: The year is 1849 – a year of dramatic changes for Ben Cartwright and his two sons, Adam and Hoss. Men are pouring across the Sierra Nevadas in search of gold in California, and ben has just arrived back at this ranch after a trip to New Orleans with a surprise for his boys.
Rating: K+ WC 56,600
Adam: The Early Years #4 – A Gentleman and a Scholar Part 2 – by Deborah
Summary: Adam Cartwright has a dream that seems impossible—he wants to attend college. Will that dream remain forever out of his reach? This story is both a continuation of “A Gentleman and a Scholar, Part 1” and a prequel to my story “Veritas”
Rating: K+ WC 67,300
Adam: The Early Years #5 – Veritas – by Deborah
Summary: This is the story of Adam’s freshman year at Harvard College.
Rating: T 44,500 words
Adam: The Early Years #6 – Building for Forever – by Deborah
Summary: After four years at Harvard’s Lawrence Scientific School, Adam Cartwright is returning to the Ponderosa with a gift for his family. This story is a sequel to my stories “A Gentleman and a Scholar” and “Veritas”.
Rating: T WC 53,200
Adam’s Birthday – by Adam’s Amore
Summary: A woman from Elizabeth’s past visits the Ponderosa.
Rating: T (6,145 words)
Adam’s Birthday Stories – by BettyHT
Summary: A series of stories about Adam’s birthdays from his thirty-first through his thirty-fifth. It is meant to be light-hearted with a little romance. There is a switch in POV from Adam, to Ben, to Hoss, to Joe, to all throughout the story to see the same events from different perspectives, and to examine the relationship among the brothers as well as to examine Ben’s thought processes too.
Rating: PG Word count: 13,999
Summary: A just for fun story wherein Adam finally gets a break.
Rating: G 4,750 words
Adam’s Family First Christmas at the Ponderosa – by Gracemolina
Summary: After returning to The Ponderosa, Adam with his family had to face his first Christmas with all their members, his wife, their twins, Peggy and Olaf. Olaf go away and returned late to Christmas eve dinner, because he wants to share Christmas spirit, but Adam only understand he disobeyed him The twins received amazing Christmas presents and a mysterious visit.
Rating: K+ 6,440 words
Summary: Faced with the trials of heart failure, young Adam Cartwright embarks on a journey of courage and resilience, drawing on the memories of the mother he never knew and the solidarity of his loving family to confront his limitations and cherish every moment of life.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 14,445
Adam’s Journal – A Rose for Lotta – by Pat D in PA
SUMMARY: Adam’s journal entry for the day involving Lotta Crabtree’s role in snaring a Cartwright in Virginia City at the behest of Alpheus Troy.
Rating: K/G 1,810 words
Adam’s Journal – She Walks in Beauty – by JC
Summary: Adam chronicles the Ragan Miller affair.
Rating: T Word Count 574
Adam’s Lady: A Romance in Ten Glimpses – by DJK
Summary: During his last year at college, Adam falls in love with the sister of a classmate and friend. Can he convince her that she would make him a “good wife”?
rating: T/PG13 word count: 5049
SUMMARY: Adam is suffering from a mysterious malady, and his days are growing short. Hoss gives Joe a clue to solve the mystery, but what Joe discovers is a horror. Most appropriate for the Halloween season.
rating = T word count = 1438
Adam’s Lost Loves – by Ponderosa Pines
Summary: Jess, George, and Sally left the people they loved, including the Cartwrights. After six long years, Jess has returned to Virginia City, running from the man who forced them out of their homes in the first place: her own father. What will happen when she meets Adam again? Will the memories of their past come rushing back, or will they be forced to face a future without each other?
Rating: K+ Word Count: 22,507
Adam’s Memoirs – Part 1 – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Adam’s memories from his early years.
Rating: T 2,400 words
Adam’s Memoirs – Part 2 – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: How I Got A Lifelong Reputation for Being a Hard Worker or How Little Joe Learned to Iron Sheets
Rating: T 1,650 words
Adam’s Memoirs – Part 3 – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Getting lucky with Mary.
Rating: T 1,770 words
Adam’s Memoirs – Part 4 – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Visiting Dustville Junction
Rating: T 2,700 words
Adam’s Memoirs – Part 5 – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Sailors, Lilly, and the Gold Thief
Rating: T 2,000 words
Adam’s Memoirs – Part 6 – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Pa Teaches me to be a Man of Few Words
Rating: T 2,600 words
Adam’s Memoirs – Part 7 – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Educating My Brothers was Never Easy
Rating: T 2,140 words
Summary: Will love ring true for Adam’s secret admirer?
Rating: K 8,550 words
Summary: Growing up was never easy, but it did have its rewards…just ask Adam Cartwright.
Rating: G…tissue alert for those with tender hearts! 8,660 words
Adam’s Tarnished Halo – by AdamJoeLuver
Summary: A bad choice with a good ending, causes Adam to grow up and take on new responsibilities.
Rating: PG-13 Words: 11,550
Addiction (The) – by Bristling Ridg
Summary: An unfortunate set of circumstances leads Hoss and his family down a difficult road, and Hoss see’s a new side to himself.
Rating: PG-13 (mature themes)
Words: 35, 100
Adonis in the Wilderness – by JoanS
Summary: One of Adam’s retired professors visits the Ponderosa for a vacation; involving the entire family in his latest art project. Is Virginia City ready for the newest Adonis?
Rating: T
Adventure of the Antique Opera Glasses (The) – by Belle
Summary: Summary: Clem receives a gift that leads to something more and provides inspiration.
Rating: G 2,845 words
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, originated in the Forums.
Adventure of the Gooseberry Pie Eating Bear (The) – by Deborah
Summary: Adam tells his daughters a story about when he and their Uncle Hoss were little boys and got into some mischief.
Rating: K WC 2500
Adventurers’ Eyes – by Andrina
Summary: Joe and a friend give each other challenges. Can they also find treasure through it?
Rating: K+ Word Count: 3168
Summary: Little Joe gets lost in a blizzard but finds out being by himself really isn’t so bad. Features the entire family.
Rating: G 9,850 words
Adventures of Adam and Tanner (The) – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: After years in the east, Adam gets a notice that he has a son. The circumstances of his son’s upbringing to that point lead to some difficult situations but some rewarding ones too. Certainly his life becomes more interesting. Published on some sites as two separate stories: Savage Son, and Learning.
Rating: T Word Count: 20,836
Summary: Advice sought and given, but why bother.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 5,764
Advice #2 – Aunt Agnes’s Dilemma – by Belle
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar.
Summary: Pressures of the season and falling behind lead to unexpected results.
Rating: G (1,75 words)
Affair Series (The) #1 – A Twisted Affair – by BettyHT
Summary: In San Francisco, Adam found someone, but that relationship will be threatened by what happens at home. Hoss has landed the Ponderosa in deep financial trouble whcih may doom Adam’s new relationship before it has a chance to develop. If you like twists and turns, you’ll find them in this story.
rating = T word count = 19,913
Affair Series (The) #2 – A Devious Affair – by BettyHT
Summary: A sequel to A Twisted Affair, this story shows how Adam faces a complex plot against him that gets more dangerous as each step fails to achieve its objective.
Rating: T Word count: 12,184
Affair Series (The) #3 – A Monetary Affair – by BettyHT
Summary: Juliette will be off her game in this story due to her condition, and yet things will work out far better than she wants them to work out. You’ll have to read it to understand that. It’s a much more light-hearted story than the previous two, and only the weather is the villain, and well, lady luck plays a role too.
Rating: T Word count: 8676
Summary: Sent to help at a neighbour’s ranch for a couple of weeks, Joe and Danny run into prejudice that leads to tragedy.
Rating: K+ 9,960 words
After the Dragon – by frasrgrl
Summary: This is a WHN for Day of the Dragon.
Word Count: 1,063 Rating: K
Summary: What happened next hours, days, months or years after five episodes.
Rating: K+ WC 4500
After the Fall #1 – by Monette
Synopsis: In the episode Triangle, Adam is engaged to Laura but is so busy building her a house she feels neglected. Will gives her all the attention she needs, and she ends up falling in love with him. We are led to believe in this episode that Adam gives her up willingly, that he never really loved her. “After the Fall” gives this story a different interpretation. For those of you who like to believe he really did love her, as I do, you will discover here what goes on between the scenes of the episode after he falls off the roof of the house, how he feels about the incident leading up to letting her go, and how he recovers both the full strength in his legs after he stands as well as how he recovers from a broken heart.
Rating: G
Words: 12,400
After the Fall #2 – Bloody Peace – by Monette
Synopsis: We all know Adam left the ranch, never to return. We all probably know a story line or two that would have encouraged him to return for an occasional episode.
Rating: PG Words: 13,800
After the Kissing Booth – by BettyHT
Summary: In a noble deed, Joe talks Adam into the annual kissing booth not knowing what will result, but hoping for the best.
Rating: PG Words 5153
After the Last Viking by SusanG
Summary: A WHN for the episode “The Last Viking”
Rating: T 13 730 words
Summary: Adam comes to terms with what happened and his responsibility for his actions during The Crucible.
Rating: G 17,150 words
Summary: As Christmas approaches, Joe struggles anew with his grief over Laura’s death. A WHN for “The Storm.”
Rating: K+ 7100
Summary: The Cartwright brothers struggle to put their lives together, after surviving a brutal Indian massacre.
Rating: K+ WC 17,500
Aftermath of a Hanging – by Dodo
Summary: A What Happened Instead for The Gamble. Joe escapes from Alkali and heads towards Virginia City to fetch help. But what if he never got there?
Rating: T 37,450 words
Summary: The aftermath of Joe being kidnapped.
Rating: K 1,665 words
Summary: It’s November 1865, and a winter storm and a stagecoach accident are interfering with many people’s plans…. Not so much a WHN as a What Happened Later for “The Crucible.”
Rating: T 15,840 words
Aftermaths #2 – Exit Lilah Rose – by sklamb
Summary: Adam Cartwright may have left Nevada, but in the late summer of 1866 his influence remains powerful in Virginia City. Follows on from my story “Aftermaths,” although it stands on its own; also contains WHIBs for the seventh-season episodes “The Other Son” and “Mighty Is The Word,” and an incidental WHN for “The Search.”
Rating: T WC 22,500
Summary: After the flowers have wilted and the mourners have left, the Cartwrights must learn to live with the loss of the woman they loved.
Rating: K WC 2100
Summary: For the BB Chaps and Spurs Mega Challenge. Started in August 2011. What happens after Hoss dies and the storyline of Bonanza ends
Rating: K+ 7,585 words
Summary: A sequel to the episode “My Brother’s Keeper”
Rating: K+ 2,230 words
Summary: A tribute to Bonanza World: much loved, gone too soon. Adam’s nightmare would indicate that all is lost. But Hoss has a different perspective…
Rating: K WC 1900
Summary: A moody portrait of a man seeking grace amid grief.
Rating: T Word Count 793
Summary: The opportunity for Adam to help out a holidaying professor with his research seems wonderful. But is it too good to be true? And who will pay the price for the professor making Adam do something Against His Will? 8,840 words Rating: T
Summary: A man doesn’t always hit what he’s aiming for—even when he’s a Cartwright. Sometimes all he can do is hold his breath, squeeze the trigger, and just do the best he can.
Rating: T WC 22,600
Airs From Heaven by AMG
Summary: After Adam suffers a fall, there is an unexpected outcome.
Rating: Teen Word Count: 9,700
Alias Adam Cartwright – by Kenda
Summary: A “what happened next” story based on the aired episode “Alias Joe Cartwright.” What happened after Adam returned home from an extended trip to discover Little Joe’s life almost came to a tragic end at an army fort outside Lode City.
Rating: K+ 16,125 words
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Joe is in jail. Dare he tell Adam and Pa his alibi? Only when he realises the seriousness of the crime does he decide to act like a man and reveal his whereabouts. But will Pa ever accept him as a grown man?
Rating: PG (13,310 words)
All About Adam – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Exactly what it says in the title. All about the Man in Black.
Rating: T WC 2000
All But One Sense – by pbeaking
Summary: Joe is coming of age and is becoming quite the ladies’ man. This is just a short story of how Adam and Hoss tamed the wild beast within, but knowing Joe, it certainly won’t be for long. It’s a short story, but comes from the heart. It was written when I lost my sister to cancer and needed a good laugh.
Rating: K+ 1700
Summary: 14 year old Adam tries to help Hoss out of trouble, but things, of course, go wrong.
Rating: G 9,350 words
All Hallow’s Eve – by ljlover2001
Summary: Joe stays in town, after the Halloween dance, to enjoy a game of poker with his friends, but soon wishes he had gone home with his brothers.
Rating: K+ 1,960 words
All Hallows’ Harvest – Heather-Chrysalis
Summary: Something evil lurks in a cornfield on the Ponderosa and unleashes terror on the Cartwright family. What is it?
Rated T Wordcount: 8, 070
All in a Day’s Work #1 A Near-Perfect Day – by Puchi Ann
Summary: A single day in the life of the three Cartwright brothers. Please read them in order. Pa has divvied up the chores according to his “usual fair method,” and Joe is exceedingly happy with his assignment.
Rating: K WC 6300
All in a Day’s Work #2 – A Day for Respect – by Puchi Ann
Summary: The events of a single day for the Cartwright brothers. Please read the stories in order. Neither winner nor loser in Pa’s assignment of chores, Adam still faces a challenging day.
Rating: K WC 4550
All in a Day’s Work #3 – A Day Beyond Endurance – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Hoss faces a day that only he could be strong enough to endure. Please read these stories in order.
Rating: K+ WC 4600
All Lies and Jests – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A conversation between brothers returns Ben to a time in the past. Missing scene for The Stranger.
Rating: T Word Count : 4,135
Summary: A WHN for A Hot Day for a Hanging; or, the aftermath of an attempted lynching. Because while the writers seemed to like ending episodes in mid-scene, I needed more closure here — a springfew extra scenes, and maybe even the Cartwrights riding off into the sunset.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 8060
All My Life’s a Circle – by Starbuck
Synopsis: Written for a friend who took up the challenge that she was issued and found that she could weave wonderful stories.
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,150
Summary: Little Joe is on an errand to Placerville when misfortune strikes … being all on his own he has to place his life in the hands of others who are fighting battles of their own.
Rating: K+ 10,570 words
All That Glitters – by Questfan
Summary: Youthful dreams were lost long ago when a father decided he knew best what his daughter needed, but a second chance comes about in a most unexpected way.
Rating: G 3,420 words
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, posted in the Forums.
All the Butterflies Have Broken Wings – by McFair
Summary: A WHN for both the episode ‘A Time to Step Down’ and ‘Lonely House’. Five years have passed and Trock has been released from prison and returned to marry Lee Bolden. Little does the former bank robber know, but his past is about to catch up to him – and Joe Cartwright – in the form of a man whose dark secret only Dan Tollivar knows. A note for the Adam-gals, your feller is home for a visit.
Word count: 61,659 Rated: PG-13 for adult situations and innuendo, torture, and typical Western violence and brutality
All the Fun of the Fair – by Sibylle
Summary: Ben and Adam visit a small fair on their way West. Prequel 1835
WC: 670 Rating: K
All the Shades of Gold – by JennyG
Summary: looking at the flexible structure of the Ponderosa ranch house. Does the house seem warm and inviting to you or do you always wonder where all those bedrooms come from when guest visit?
Rating: G 3,550 words
All Through the Night – by bahj
Summary: Left alone once again to pick up the pieces, Ben struggles to move forward after Marie’s death, and finds comfort in the words to an old song.
Rating: K 1050 words
All Ye Are Brothers – by Hogan
Summary: WHN for All Ye Are Saints. Joe must fight to save the life of ‘Lijah, an Indian man who is on trial for the murder of Tom Caine, a white man.
Rating: K+ WC 4700
Allegience (The) #1 – The Wilderness (by HarpistforHim)
Summary: During the intense first day of the Battle of the Wilderness, Adam finds himself staring down his youngest brother, someone he had hoped to heaven he’d never meet on the battlefield. A terrible day only gets worse when Adam realizes he and Joe aren’t wearing matching uniforms. Part one of the Allegiance Series.
Rating: G Word Count: 2197
Allegiance (The) #2 – Allegience – by HarpistforHim
Summary: After the first grueling days of the Battle of the Wilderness, Joe comes across someone he hadn’t expected to meet during the war. Two brothers caught on opposite sides of the Civil War come face-to-face one night in an intense battle of words, forcing Joe to reconsider exactly where his allegiance lies. Part two of the Allegiance Series.
Rating: G Word Count: 1521
Summary: A close call for someone.
Rating: K Word Count: 3152
Summary: Little Joe learns a family secret about his mother and Adam.
Rated: PG 9,400 words
Almost Caught – by LillianMontane
Summary: Little Joe is almost caught in a brothel when he is 17.
Rating: M Word count: 1476
Almost Lost Two #1 – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: The story is set after Hoss’ death when Adam is reunited with his family, and Adam and Joe have to reconnect which uncovers what could have been a second tragedy for the family. There is limited description of the barbaric practices used in insane asylums in the 1800s in some states.
Rating = T Word Count = 3851
Almost Lost Two #2 – A Piece of the Puzzle – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: In this one, someone who wants to destroy Ben Cartwright decides to take advantage of Adam believing that his recent past makes him the weak link in the Cartwrights.
Rating = T Word count = 19,687
Almost Lost Two #3 – Exposed – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: In seeking justice against those who put him in the asylum, Adam ends up suffering again. Concludes the series that began with Almost Lost Two and continued with A Piece of the Puzzle.
Rating: T Word Count = 10,398
Summary: A moment in time in a special place.
Rating: K. 505 words
Summary: While trying to help some friends, Adam becomes trapped in a mine, no one knows he’s there, he faces death ..alone.
Rating: K+ 15,575 words
Summary: After an accident, Joe finds himself facing a long wait for possible rescue, alone and injured, while his family race time and the weather to find him.
Rating: K+ 9,795 words
Alone #2 – Learning a Lesson – by Rona
Summary: Set five months after ‘Alone’, Joe quarrels with his family, then falls foul of some outlaws. It isn’t necessary to have read ‘Alone’ before reading this one.
9,930 words Rating: T
Summary: The Cartwrights face an unfathomable situation, when Joe pulls a gun on his father. A companion piece for the story, “The Truckee Strip”
Rating: K+ WC 5300
Alternate Ending for Quality of Mercy – by csb
Summary: This is an alternate ending for Quality Of Mercy. I wanted to pursue Adam and Joes’ argument further and resolve their differences.
Rating: K 3,690 words
Alternative Nativity Story (The) – by Terri
Summary: An unmarried mother arrives at the Ponderosa for Christmas. How will the family cope with the impending birth?
Rated: K+ WC 7200
Summary: The days and weeks after one of the worst times on the Ponderosa culminates in a moment between father and son. What should have happened.
Rating: G 625 words
Always and Forever – by Lynnette
Summary: Lynne Allison returns to Virginia City after having been away for eight years. As she and Joe spend time together, they begin to see each other differently then they had as kids. Will Lynne ever be able to let go of past hurts, enough to see the love that surrounds her? And as the Cartwrights run into trouble with the Slaters, their neighbors for twenty years, can Joe have the strength to realize that the events that unfold are out of his control? It’s sadness, love, hope, and tragedy that bring Joe and Lynne together in a series of events that eventually lead them to a battle for their lives.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG
Words: 16,250
Always and Forever #1 – SandyW
Synopsis: A message out of the past could change Adam’s life forever.
Rating: G (11,675 words)
Always and Forever #2 – Lessons Learned – SandyW
Synopsis: Sequel to “Always and Forever,” almost a year since the adoption and both Adam and Peggy have some things to learn about being a family.
Rating: G (16,165 words)
Summary: In his thirteenth summer, Joe meets a girl for all seasons.
Rating: K WC: 783
Summary: This story addresses the arrival of Adam Cartwright after a ten year absence and how his return affects the remaining Cartwrights.
Rating: T ~ WC 25,500
Always My Son #1 – by Wrangler
Summary: This is a two-part series.
Rating: T WC 55,000
Always My Son #2 – The Color of Love – by Wrangler
Summary: This is a sequel to Always My Son.
Rating: K+ WC 18,000
Summary: What if the doctor wasn’t able to do the surgery? Ben recalls conversations he has had with Hoss and the best of his middle son’s attributes.
Rating: PG Word count: 1243
Summary: Brothers are always there for each other, no matter what the circumstances.
Rating: G (3,010 words)
Summary: Little Joe wants a solo hunting trip, but he won’t be as alone as he thinks he is when he gets his grand adventure. Story features Joe but Ben and Adam have prominent roles too.
Rating: = T WC = 1346
Summary: This is a romance/mystery story featuring Hoss Cartwright. Watch for the twists and turns in this one!
Rating: K+ 85,490 words
Amelia Series #1 – Pa’s Favorite – by Meg
Summary: Little Joe becomes jealous when Ben starts to pay more attention to little sister Amelia prompting Joe to think that Amelia is Pa’s favorite. Joe’s P.O.V 3,900 words
Amelia Series #2 – My Hero – by Meg
Summary: Little Joe is given an assignment to write about who his hero is. And surprises everyone when he reveals who he wrote about.
Rating: K+ 2,355 words
Amelia Series #3 – A Precious Gift – by Meg
Summary: After an accident leaves eight year old Amelia with amnesia has a great impact on her family especially for Joe and Adam.
Rating: K+ 6,615 words
Amelia Series #4 – A Letter to Adam – by Meg
Summary: Amelia writes a letter to her departed brother informing him on the on goings of the Ponderosa including the scams and trouble Little Joe and Hoss had gotten themselves into.
Rating: K+ 1,210 words
Amelia Series #5 – Raising Amelia – by Meg
Summary: Amelia’s mother Catherine snooty over bearing sister Martha makes an unexpected visit to the Ponderosa determine to tear Amelia from her father and brothers apart. Amelia’s P.O.V
Rating: T 14,570 words
Amelia Series #6 – Shatter Bond – by Meg
Summary: Joe jeopardizes his relationship with his sister by dating her teacher. Will she ever be able to forgive him? Will he ever be able to gain her trust back?
Rating: K+ 6,060 words
Amelia Series #7 – The Talk – by Meg
Summary: Adam thinks he should give his fourteen year old sister Amelia the “Birds and the Bees” talk after seeing her and her boyfriend becoming closer.
Rating: K+ 4,215 words
Amelia Series #8 – Cartwrights Stick Together – by Meg
Summary: After getting into an awful fight with Joe Amelia’s relationship with him is put to the ultimate test after he is accuse of murder and Amelia is force to testify against him. Will their sibling love survive or will it die?
Rating: K 7,410 words
Summary: So what did happen to Will and Laura and Peggy after the wedding day? Did they ride happily off into the sunset and disappear like many other Cartwright neighbours and friends? If they did it was only after this particular adventure …
32,505 words Rating: K
Amidst the Winter Snow – by Rona
Summary: Out checking on the herd, Joe follows some tracks and finds an injured Indian girl. Will his gallantry cost him more than he is prepared to pay?
Rating: T 10,425 words
Among the Bones of My Ancestors – by EPM
Summary: A peaceful summer morning turns into a struggle of the spirit as well as the body.
Rating: K+
Among the Ponderosa Pines – by Heather-Chrysalis
Summary: A poem about the Ponderosa Pines and the Cartwright family and how similar they are.
Rated G Wordcount: 135
Summary: Gone was the awkward school girl I’d once known. In her place was an enticing young woman…. Joe’s thoughts after his first encounter with Amy.
Rating: T (a mild T for light language and hormonal, teenage thoughts) Word Count: 554
An Abigail Triptych – by sklamb
Summary: That pioneer of education in the Nevada Territory, Miss Abigail Jones, is featured in these three very short stories.
Rating: K+ WC 5400
An Afterwork Conversation – by JennyG
Summary: An unusual take on what it’s like living in the big house.
Rating: K 1,540 words
An Apple A Day – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Another unfortunate accident means that Doctor Paul Martin has to tend to maimed Joe once again.
Rating: K+ 1900
Synopsis : Sheikhs, Arabs, and Cartwrights in the middle of it all
Rating and Reader’s Alerts : PG; alerts depend on how vivid your imagination is
Words: 8,830
Summary: Two vignettes giving insight on Adam’s initially awkward relationship with his second step-Mother.
Rating: K WC 2600
An Electrifying Christmas – Puchi Ann
Summary: Christmastime without a Christmas tree threatens Virginia City.
Rating: G 5,370 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
An Excellent Plan – by BettyHT
Summary: A guest on the Ponderosa finds her time monopolized with activities planned by Adam and Joe. Hoss comes up with a plan to change all of that.
Rating: = PG WC = 1455
Summary: A WHN for The Quest. Joe has completed his contract for the Sun Mountain Mining Company, but Povey, his rival, has disappeared.
Rating: T 10,310 words
An Eye for an Eye – by Bonanzagirl
Summary: A man wants revenge.
Rating: PG Word Count: 8280
An Eye for an Eye – by Kimberley
Summary: While Ben’s laid up as the result of an accident, Joe suffers a similar fate, causing the Cartwrights to wonder how accidental the occurrences really are.
Rating: Teens
Words: 8,450
Summary: An ill wind invades the Ponderosa, leaving the Cartwrights unable to take care of themselves while Hop Sing is away.
Rating: K 16,900 words
An Indoor Bathroom – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: On a cold, snowy day, the sisters want to know about something related to everyone’s comfort.
Rating: K+ WC 2000
An Offering of Comfort – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben sat and waited as one of his sons lies in bed injured… the details… the depths… maybe a revelation or two.
Rating: K 1,000 words
An Undercover Christmas – by ljlover2001
Summary: It’s almost Christmas Day, but ten year old Little Joe can’t wait and is desperate to find out what big brother Adam has bought him. However, when he goes looking he finds a lot more than he bargained for.
Rating: K+ 3,160 words
An Unforgettable Son – by Lynnette
Story Summary: Joe sets off towards Yuma to investigate reports of his father’s death.
Rating: G
Words: 5,160
An Unfortunate Going-On – by Tavia42
Summary: Joe and Hoss meant well. They always do. But somehow they find themselves falling into a series of misadventures, and getting out of one only lands them in another. This story is a compilation of 2025 Pinecone Challenges, which form an ongoing narrative – thank you to AC1830 for so many wonderful prompts!
Rating: G Word Count: 6,042
An Unspeakable Dawn – by McFair
Summary: It has been five years since Joe Cartwright took Bella Carnaby as his wife and nearly twenty since he first met Rosey O’Rourke – a woman he knows his father loves, but one that life and time has conspired to keep away from the Ponderosa. A new threat and an old enemy appear to threaten the Cartwrights – will the end of their collective tale be joy, or tragedy?
81,360 words
Rated PG-13 for western violence and brutality and mild adult language
Summary: This story is a spin off from an episode called The Tall Stranger in which Hoss proposed to Margie Owens and lost out to Mark Connors, who married Margie and then dumped her. Hoss found Margie just before she died in childbirth. In this story Hoss is battling the worst misery of his life as he struggles to overcome a broken heart with no hope of ever seeing Margie again. He has to suffer physical anguish, and experience other people’s direst heartache, before he can bury the past and get on with his life, find happiness and return home to his family.
Rating: T 21,580 words
And Amen to All That – by Krystyna
Summary: Adam and Joe Cartwright face the worse possible kind of danger, a silent enemy, one unseen and lethal … but which of them will survive?
Rating: K+ 22,570 words
And He Shall Not Depart From It – by DJK
Summary: Adam gives in to a small temptation while at college.
Rating: T Word count: 1331
And Hell Rode with Him – by EPM
Summary: It’s late October and the boys are out on the range. Will a stranger take one of them away?
Rating: K+ (3,550)
And His Heart Grew a Little Bit Larger – by BettyHT
Summary: Hoot tries to teach the Cartwrights a lesson but learns more than he ever expected. This is a prequel Christmas story. Rating:
PG Word count: 2,295
And I’ve Got Mine… — aka Until the Pain’s a Cloud of Dust – by BluewindFarm
Summary: For those who were never satisfied with the brief glimpse of a picture on the desk. What should have happened before Forever.
Rating: K 1,550 words
The story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 1.
Summary: When it comes to his family, Adam decides some things are more important than cattle and horses.
Rating: G – 3,750 words
And Johnny Got His Gun – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: An expansion of a pinecone challenge from Bonanza Brand, this is the story of a boy who makes a terrible choice and has to live with the consequences, but he isn’t the only one.
Rating = T Word count = 1941
And on the Seventh Day – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: It’s all about the seventh day.
Rating: T 3,840 words
And So The Sad Tale Begins – by JoanS
Summary: Ben comes home to find trouble in the house.
Rating: K 6,270 words
And the Living Is Easy – by BettyHT
Summary: A little light summertime story about Adam who isn’t happy with the way his summer is going until he’s faced with robbery and jail. It turns out better than that sounds.
Rating: PG Word Count: 3978
And Then Along Comes Rupert – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Long-distant cousin Rupert brings greetings and glad tidings to the Ponderosa.
Rating: T 2,225 words
Summary: A set of vignettes featuring Marie.
Rating: K+ Word count: 2211
And This Gives Life to Thee – by freyakendra
Summary: Adam returns home to stay, after a loss helps him to be ‘found.’
Rating: K+ Word Count: 4,700
And to All a Good(ish) Night – PSW
Summary: With thanks and apologies to either Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston Jr (apparently there’s some question…)
Rating: G 525 words
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2024 Advent Calendar
Angel and the Cowboy (The) – WendyB
Synopsis: A young, stuffy (er) Adam spends his Christmas with a college friend and has encounters his crazy sister Peanut, um, Penelope.
Rating: PG-13 Words: 24,700
Summary: A WHN for Twilight Town.
Rating: K WC 2200
Summary – In the episode Gabrielle, one man was changed drastically by her consistent love. This is his reflection of that change.
Rating = K, WC = 804
Angels Crossing Moonlight – by dbird
Summary: A story about grief, fear, and love, told from the top of a mountain. A prequel for the episode, “Between Heaven and Earth”.
Rating: K+ WC 4500
Angels, In Spite of it All – by Questfan
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 24
Summary: Virginia City awaits the highly anticipated Nativity play. Thankfully, anyone can be an angel when there is a need.
Rating: G 3,700 words
Animals Talk at Midnight (The) – by DJK
Summary: Truth or myth, it would be wonderful if they did.
Rating: G (120 words)
Summary: Adam was reading; his wife had other ideas. Rated:
MA Warning: Erotic, adult sexual situation.
Word Count: 2189
Anne #1 – Opportunity – by BettyHT
Summary: A tragedy in Arizona, mistaken identification of a dying man, and financial troubles for the Ponderosa are the beginnings of a rift between Adam and his father.
Rating: T Word count: 25,789
Anne #2 – Bridges – by Betty HT
Summary: Refuge in Australia becomes a chance for Adam to change into the man he wants to be, but there are those who become obstacles to his success. At home, Ben is pushed into change too when Hoss and Joe force him to face some truth he would rather deny. Eventually events bring the two together to see if they can reconcile.
Rating : T Word Count: 24,206
Anne #3 – Circles (by BettyHT)
Summary: The third Adam and Anne story has clues about her long lost brothers, trouble with a counterfeiting ring Adam is investigating in his new job for the Treasury Department, and a threat to kill one of the Cartwrights, and all of those are tied together.
Rating: T WC = 11,299
Summary: Adam meets a feisty young woman who thinks that arguing means that you care. It’s a tempestuous relationship at times, but loyalty, honesty, courage, and love are the cornerstones of the foundation that supports them through many crises. Although the story is centered on the Adam and Annie relationship, the rest of the family is important to the story and there are changes for all of them too including romances.
Rating: = T word count = 155,709
Another Chance – by southplains
Summary: A What Happened Instead for the episode “Second Chance.”
Rating: K+ 21,880 Words
Another Fine Mess – by Calim11
Summary: Hoss/Adam are stuck in a cabin waiting for the bad guys to finish the job. A: 24, H:18, J:12
Rating: and Reader Alerts: PG-13 for Western-style violence 13,550 words
Another Fine Mess – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Little Joe thinks he’s found the perfect way to raise money to help Virginia City’s needy orphans, while providing a few side benefits for himself and his friends. Originally published in Bonanza Gold.
Rating: K 7,470 words
Another Kind of Ending – by dbird
Summary: WHN for “The Magnificent Adah.” Adam tries to understand his father’s words: there are many kinds of love.
Rating: K+ WC 2700
Another Mountain to Climb – by Rona
Summary: A WHN To Between Heaven And Earth.
Rating: T 9,860 words
Another Sand Creek? – by BettyHT
Summary: In the Christmas season, Ben sends Adam on a short mission to the Paiute but that errand embroils his son in tragedy.
Rating: = T WC = 6457
Another Side of The Triangle #1 – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Missing scenes from The Triangle, and what happened next.
Rating: K+ 5,170 words
Another Side of the Triangle #2 – the Epilogue – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A continuation of Another Side of the Triangle — missing scenes and WHN for the episode, The Triangle It is not necessary to have read Another Side of the Triangle in order to understand the epilogue.
Rating: T . 1,220 words
Another Stranger in Town #1 – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: This is the crossover story for the August 2018 challenge — Adam goes to Dodge City and meets the cast of Gunsmoke in a WHN for the episode of that series, A Stranger In Town.
rating = T word count = 8046
Another Stranger in Town #2 – Silver-Haired Stranger in Town – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: My BoNaNo entry. Ben is the visitor to Dodge City this time and is carrying a message from Dave Reeves.
Rating: PG Word Count: 7482
SUMMARY: What if you lost nine years of your most recent memory and it never came back? What if you had memories that could hurt people if you got them back so they wanted you dead? But you don’t remember who those people are or what it is that they fear you will remember?
Rating: T Word Count: 20,397
Summary: An AU/ WHI Christmas based on Forever.
Rating: G 2,690 words
Summary: When it comes to Joe’s perfect gift to give….
Rating: G 1,270 words
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, originated in the Forums.
Anything for Family – by Lynnette
Summary: When Richard Darvey is out for revenge on Ben Cartwright for the death of his son, Joe must decide how much he is willing to give to protect his father. When Darvey fails to claim his revenge on the Cartwrights it becomes quite clear that someone other then Darvey will stop at nothing to see both Ben and Joe dead.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG
Words: 4,480
Appaloosa (The) – by Bonanzagirl
Summary: To gain new experiences, Joe leaves the ranch for one summer.
Rating: PG Word count: 18500
Summary: A terrible accident teaches the Cartwrights that each of them have their own areas of expertise.
Rating: K+ 5,635 words
Argument (The) – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: Ben and Adam argue over Adam’s education.
Word count: 1,045 Rating: K+
Summary: Riding home and leading horses from an unplanned purchase, the Cartwrights encounter more trouble than they bargained for.
Rating: T 16,060 words
Synopsis: The two Cartwright brothers circled each other sizing up each other for the final draw, the question is: Who really did win?
Rating: G Words: 1200
Army Horses (The) – by LynRobinson
Summary: You’ve heard the saying, ‘Loose lips sink ships’? Joe learns a valuable lesson and Adam could pay the ultimate price when the family attempts to deliver a herd of horses to the Army.
Rating: K+ WC 10,000
Arroyo (The) – by LillianMontane
Summary: Little Joe is having a rough go of it. Things get worse when a fired ranch hand decides Joe owes him. Will life get better for the youngest Cartwright?
Written as a response to 2nd quarter chaps and spurs challenge.
Word count: 15,015 Rated: T
Art Contest (The) – by fanofoldtvshows
Summary: Hop Sing enters an art contest to benefit a family in need.
Rating: K+ Words: 1940
Art of Cunning (The) – by Dodo
Summary: When Joe wants something badly to what lengths would he go? My entry for March’s Literary Challenge with a few additions.
Rated: K+ Work Count: 1496
Art of Forgiveness – by Destiny Adams
Summary: Originally written for a Chaps and Spurs Challenge, now slightly revised. Joe did it again, but was it really so bad?
Rating: K 1,145 words
Art of Parenting (The): Lesson #1 – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: This is the first part of The Art of Parenting Trilogy.
Rated K Word Count: 1700
Art of Parenting (The): Lesson #2 – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: This is the second part of The Art of Parenting trilogy.
Rated K Word Count: 14,080
Art of Parenting (The): Lesson #3 – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: This is Part 3 of The Art of Parenting trilogy.
Rated K Word Count: 4370
Art of the Possible (The) – by Gillian
Summary: written to explain how it was that Adam and Ben were both on the four-man Virginia City Council in “No Less a Man ” – but it doesn’t spoil the episode if you haven’t seen it yet.
Rating: T 17, 750 words
Art Treasure (The) – by Debbie D
Summary: An old friend of Ben’s from his sailing days comes visiting and brings a gift for Ben. However, complications arise and the Cartwrights learn what is truly priceless.
Rating: T (10,755 words)
Summary: Adam fails in a task that haunts him, but the aftermath is haunting to everyone because no one can understand what happens next. PG 2,128
Artist (The) – A Missing Scene – by JennyG
Summary: Just how much trouble can Adam get into while killing time in a sleepy town.
Rating: T 3,300 words
Summary: A tongue-in-cheek kickoff for SJS Month 2011. The smallest crumb can become a masterpiece in the hands of an artist.
Rated: K+ WC 3000
Art-Universe (The) # 2 – The Missing Week or The Art of Convalescing – by faust
Summary: The way to recovery can be stony. But sometimes obstacles come from the most unexpected origins. And just how many times will Doctor Martin have to come to the Ponderosa to patch up Adam once again?
16,750 words, rated T
Art-Universe (The) # 1 – The Art of Horse Selling – by faust
Summary: Adam Cartwright has a lot of things to deal with: burglars, unwanted newspaper articles about his family, and someone who doesn’t want to saddle a horse. Will he at least be able to survive the whole mess? A WHN for Enter Mark Twain, in a way.
31,100 words, rated T
Art-Universe (The) # 3 – The Art of Setting Priorities – by faust
Summary: Both Adam Cartwright and Juliet Heatherstone encounter someone from their past, with grievous impact on their lives. Where will they set their Priorities? Life or honour? Safety of a once-in-a-lifetime offer or perchance to dream of even more?
58,200 words, rated T.
Art-Universe (The) # 4 – A Warm Welcome – by faust
Summary: An American in England, lukewarm beer, and haunting experiences. Is it possible to adjust with people who insist you’re from “the colonies?” Halloween story, a PS for “The Art of Setting Priorities,”.
3,000 words, rated K
Art-Universe (The) # 5 – Somewhere Beyond the Sea or The Art of the Impossible – by faust
Summary: Prequel set in Adam’s college years in Boston. A formal ball, a friendly social, a red dress, a flamingo, and the sea, the sea! The beginning of Adam’s complicated love life, and, somewhere beyond the sea, someone’s first tentative steps into becoming The Queen. Can be read by itself, yet it is a part of the “Art” series, and best read after “The Art of Setting Priorities”
12,750 words, rated K.
Art-Universe (The) # 6 – Home Sweet Home or The Art of Settling Down – by faust
Summary: Clementine Hawkins’ story – how an English artist came to settle down in Virginia City. And what is it with her and Ben Cartwright? Set in the Art-universe, but definitely a stand-alone.
1,800 words, rated T
Art-Universe (The) # 7 – The Art of Serenading – by faust
Summary: Adam tries to serenade The One — if she’d only let him.
1,250 words, rated K.
Art-Universe (The) # 7a – Flowers – by faust
Summary: Five women, five flowers, each of them holding a special meaning.
990 words, rated: K+
Art-Universe (The) # 7b – What Matters – by faust
Summary: Three times it didn’t matter that he loved her, and the one time it did.
630 words, rated K
Art-Universe (The) # 7c – The Art of Bronco Busting – by faust
Summary: It might look like everyday business, but it’s more, much more. Ben makes some quite interesting observations, and Juliet learns something, too.
2,300 words Rated: K
Art-Universe (The) # 8 – The Art of Belonging – by faust
Summary: After a long day out in the rain, Adam longs for more than a hot drink and a hearty meal, and he knows where he’ll find it. # 8 in the series.
4,400 words, rated K
Art-Universe (The) # 9 – The Art of Giving – by faust
Summary: Christmas on the Ponderosa is, more or less, always the same. Yet this year, there’s a certain moment of unpredictability: there’s a visitor staying over the holidays who could jeopardise it all…or make it extra special. And maybe she even knows a better present for Adam than yet another book….
3,200 words, rated K
Art-Universe (The) #10 – The Art of Mopping, Making Tea and Keeping Your Sanity – by faust
Summary: Like so many before it, the day began uneventfully, quietly, normally. But nothing would ever be the same again.
4,250 words, rated K.
Art-Universe (the) #11 – Early One Morning – by faust
Summary: Early one morning Adam muses about where his home is—and why.
1,100 words, rated K+
Art-Universe (The) #11a – Night Duty or the Art of Living the Moment – by faust
Summary: “You go.” Dreaded words, Juliet knew that, but Adam simply had to admit that this night’s duty had lain heavily on her shoulders and to understand it was his turn to pacify their unhappy child.
Art-Universe (The) #12 – Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? or The Art of Love and War – by faust
Summary: Adam embarks on an adventure his family had not expected him to — although maybe they should have. And now they all have to watch helplessly as their once peaceful world shatters around them..
74,600 words, rated T
Art-Universe (the) #12a – Gettysburg – by faust
Summary: A dying man’s last thoughts, a family’s grief…and a glimpse of hope? Warning: character death
1,400 words, rated T
Art-Universe (the) #13 – What Do You Tell Your Children? or The Art of Explaining – by faust
Summary: There’ll come a time your children ask questions, uncomfortable questions. And then you might find answers that’ll help you, too, to cope with what was and is.
970 words, rated T
Art-Universe (The) #13a – Fortuna Smiles – by faust
Summary: Written for the prompt: Adam wins the lottery. And that’s all there is to it.
800 words, rated K+
Art-Universe (The) #14 – The Birds and The Bees – by faust
Summary: Some questions are easier to answer than others. And it doesn’t help that Adam is entirely on his own when his son asks this particular one.
1,650 words, rated K
Art-Universe (The) #14a – Bushwhacked or The Art of Negotiating – by faust
Summary: On coming home after a long day out, Adam find things are not quite as they should be. There is someone lurking, someone with evil intentions. But as Adam realises that, it’s too late already to stop the inevitable.
1,200 words, rated K
Art-Universe (The) #15 – The Eyebrow of Doom – by faust
Summary: Bankrobbers, mysterious family secrets, burnt food, some new additions to the household, and even two shot wounds — what else could possibly make a six-year-old’s summer more interesting?
10,700 words, rated K
Art-Universe (The) #15a – Snow – by faust
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar.
Rating: K 2,180 words
Art-Universe (The) #16 – Fortuna’s Children and Other Lucky Creatures – by faust
Summary: It’s a scandal, that much is certain, and Adam becomes aware of it only when it’s much too late to do anything about it. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get agitated. Even though, taking everything in account….
Rating: K 2,300 words
Art-Universe (The) #17 – Broken Sugar Bowl – by faust
Summary: A Christmas continuation of The Art Universe
Rating: G 2,280 words
Art-Universe (The) #18 – Heirlooms – by faust
Summary: The most treasured family heirloom are our sweet family memories.
Rating: G 3,115 words
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, originated in the Forums.
Art-Universe (The) #19 – Icicle of Doom – by faust
Summary: Those often ridiculed have vulnerable souls, too. Who better than a Cartwright to acknowledge that? Rating: G Words 1,860 Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar A continuation of The Art-Universe, links to all stories included within
Art-Universe (the) #20 – To Build a House – by faust
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
Art-Universe (The) #21 – With a Flourish – faust Summary: A Christmas continuation of The Art Universe
Rating: G 3,410 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: My 50th story! The Cartwright family must rebuild their lives after a devastating fire.
Rating: K+ WC 12, 700
As Good as the Best Day He Ever Saw – by patina
Summary: A man’s self-image doesn’t always match his reflection in the mirror. Ben sets out to prove he’s not yet ready for porch-sitting. Word Count=3794 Rating: K
As Luck Would Have It – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: What can happen on a short cattle drive? The Cartwright brothers have a tale to tell.
Rating: K Word Count: 9262
As the Old Year Ends – a New Year poem – by KateP
Summary: Wishes for the new year as the old year ends.
Rating: G (140 words)
As Ye Sow, or Minor Adjustments – Pat D in PA
Summary: In this AU tale of the Cartwrights of the Ponderosa, evidence from a very painful part of Adam’s past turns up to forever change his present and that of his family.
Rating: T Mature language and themes are present throughout this story. (122,875 words)
Summary: A young woman seeks the help of Ben and Adam to locate her lost sister.
Rating: K 20,100 words
Summary: What has happened that has changed Adam so much? A story about the ravages of life and the endurance of love with references to ‘Triangle’ and ‘Forever.’
9,500 words, Rating: T
Summary: Joe finds himself helpless and at the mercy of an older woman.
Rating: T 16,950 words
SUMMARY: In this story, Adam has returned home but is not sure of what to do and if he should stay. It’s a romance, but a bumpy one as there are detours involving all consuming work, tragedy, and life threatening trouble that will fully engage his mind and his heart until he has found his place and his future.
rating = T word count = 27599
At Odds #2 – Masquerade – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: A set of new projects brings with it a set of new problems, new partners, and a dangerous foe. The story continues the adventures of Adam and Kitty that started in At Odds.
rating = T word count = 13, 986
At the Cliff’s Edge . . . – by A-P
Summary: Twelve-year-old Joe and Mitch are out exploring a cave when they meet Maybelle and Jean Williams. They soon come to know that Mrs. Williams is not at all what they thought, but the figure it out right At the Cliff’s Edge… Written for the 2018 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament.
Rated: K+ 8,890 words
At the End of Their Rope – by Belle
Summary: Ben tells his grandchildren a Christmas Story.
Rating: G (1,375 words)
At the Hands of Strangers #1 – by Camera Chic
Summary: A prequel. A revengeful hired hand kidnaps Little Joe, who discovers a new friend in an unlikely place.
Rating: K+ 13,805
At the Hands of Strangers #2 – Friends and Strangers – by Camera Chic
Summary: Little Joe decides to find an old friend of Ben’s, and along the way learns about growing up and responsibility. This story is a sequel to “At the Hands of Strangers”, but it stands alone.
Rating: PG-13 for mild language, strong language, violence 28,670 words
Summary: WHN for My Brother’s Keeper. After the accident in which Adam shot Joe, Adam suffers guilt that affects every aspect of his life until Joe comes up with a way to fix that.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,680
Attic #1 – Treasures in the Attic – by VickiC.
Summary: Adam and Joe bring down some trunks from the attic and Pa relates a hundred year old family story to amuse a bored Little Joe on a winter’s day.
Rating: G (6,840 words)
Attic #2 – The Gunpowder Plot – by VickiC.
Summary: Joe persuades his father and a very reluctant Adam, to tell the story of the black powder.
Rating: G (5,500 words)
Attic Window aka Lucia – by Foreverfree
Summary: Hoss tells Little Joe about Saint Lucia, as only he can.
Rating: G 2,670 words
Summary: Little Joe Cartwright celebrates his 21st birthday with his family on the Ponderosa Ranch.
Rating: K+ 830 words
Summary: The cross country race for the Virginia City fall festival brings some unexpected challenges for Little Joe and his new horse, Penny. Prequel. Written for May 2019 Chaps & Spurs.
Rating: K+ / Word Count: 3244
Aunt Dinah aka The Christmas Visitors – by BluewindFarm
Summary: The Cartwrights face a near-tragedy and Christmas visitors.
Rating: G 2,040 words
Summary: An unexpected guest brings a lot of surprises to the Cartwright brothers. A story told by a twelve-year-old Joe.
Rating: K Word Count: 3265
Summary: While working on her latest story, an author gets a surprise visit.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 778
Autumn #1 – Autumn’s Surprise – by deansgirl
Summary: Autumn is setting around the Ponderosa and with it comes a very dear and long awaited surprise. An October chaps and spurs story
Rating: K+ 1,180 words
Autumn #2 – Autumn’s Story – by deansgirl
Summary: A Sequel to Autumn’s Surprise. Adam is awake now and ready to tell his story.
Rating: K+ 1,685 words
Autumn on the Ponderosa – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: It happened one autumn.
Rating: T 1,375 words
Synopsis: While Ben and Joe are away in Carson City and Hoss laid up at the Ponderosa, Adam goes by himself to confirm that the sawmill is securely locked for the coming winter. While rounding up some stray cattle on the way home, he is seriously injured. Hurt and with a snowstorm bearing down on him, he needs to find shelter. Will he make it?
Rating: G Words: 24,660
Summary: The brothers are caught in an avalanche; this story is the aftermath.
Rating: T (6,725 words)
Avenging Debbie – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Debbie has been disrespected by a rude video clerk and the Cartwrights avenge her.
Rating: T 1,040 words
Summary: When Hoss is left on his own to run the ranch, he begins to doubt his ability in himself and in everything that his father had tried to teach him.
Rated PG WC 4850
Awakening Dream (The) – by starlite
Summary: Ben is troubled by a recurring dream that almost comes true.
Rated: G 4,700 words
Summary: A Christmas surprise on the ranch.
Rating: G 1,090 words
