Click the title to read story.
Summary: This is my first trip into the world of erotic writing. Please be warned that this little story may not appeal to all readers.
This story is rated MA. WC 5700
Summary: The Cartwright’s creativity shines when they find themselves stuck at home.
Rated: T 3,085 words
Cabin in the Woods (The) – by Sierra Girl
Summary: Nothing stays the same, no matter how much we believe we want it to. For a lonely homesteader, life in her remote forest cabin was to be changed forever with the arrival of a riderless horse, a wounded Cartwright and a trigger-happy gunman.
Rated: T 24,151 words
Café Scene (The) – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Ben raised them better than this. We know he did.
Rating: T 870 words
Calamity in the Bathhouse – by pjb
Summary: Remember the season 5 episode, “Calamity Over the Comstock”? Turns out, there was more going on than most of us knew about. Pull up a chair and let Miss Calamity Jane Canary tell you all about it. . . .
Rated: MA WC 6200
Summary: New Year’s Day in 1865 rings in both unspeakable sorrow and unbridled hope for Joe. Reference is made to Between Heaven and Earth.
WC 2200 Rated: T
Calling (The) – by Hooded Crow
Summary: An old actress touches a very special spot in Adam’s heart.
Rated: K+ 3,075 words
Calling Up Angels – by Wrangler
Summary: When a little boy is left in Little Joe’s care, he hopes to adopt him however problems arise which might prevent the adoption. A tale of love and loss.
Rating T, WC 19,348
Summary: A local girl disappears on the same day Joe is assaulted. Coincidence? Maybe . . . or maybe not.
Camp Fire Tales — a REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: What else is there to do around a camp fire?
Rating: T 1,550 words
Summary: Three brothers, a campfire, and ghost stories on All Hallow’s Eve.
Rating: K+ 8,690 words
Camping at Eagle’s Rock – by pbeaking
Summary: This story branches off from the Episode entitled “Between Heaven and Earth.” In that episode Ben mentions to Joe that he had a scary experience when he was five years old at Eagle’s Nest. This story is about that experience and what made Joe afraid of heights.
Rating: G 6,400 words
Summary: The brothers go camping, and there’s nothing better than telling a ‘ghost story’ around a camp fire, unless you try to tell the tale with these brothers.
Rating: G (1,220 words)
Summary: Adam and his friend Ross decide to take a fishing trip. To Adam’s dismay, two little brothers manage to go along, too. Of course, with a mischievous six-year-old along, the trip is not quite what Adam had planned.
Rating: G (12,110 words)
Can’t Smile Without Her – by BettyHT
SUMMARY: A WHN for The Hopefuls, this is a scene in which Hoss and Adam talk about an incident in Placerville. The actions Adam took there were because, although Regina was gone, her effect on him was still being felt. Rating: PG. Word count: 1208
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – by Claire
Summary: Someone is watching Joe from the shadows… someone who loves him and who can never let him go. Because love lasts forever.
Rated: K+ 3,220 words
Can’t They See Me? – by BettyHT
Summary: After a tragedy, who died, and who is still living? How did some survive? What makes a hero? Rating: T Word count: 2,415
Summary: Hoping to be the next Governor of Nevada, Joshua Whitaker is campaigning in Virginia City. It doesn’t take long for him to take aim at the Cartwrights. An adaptation of The Big Valley season 2, episode 7 “The Target.”
Rating: K+ Word Count: 7039
Summary: Attacked by rustlers, Candy and Adam have some time to talk as they try to work their way out of their predicament. Candy talks about the Cartwrights.
Rating — PG WC — 1544
Summary: A look at the Cartwrights through Candy’s eyes.
Rated: T 4,400 words
Captain Cartwright # 1 – To Soar on Albatross Wings – by Krystyna
Summary: Welcome to the world of Captain Cartwright; this is the first story in this continuing saga. This story introduces Candy to the Cartwright family where he finds a restless Joe Cartwright who resents the fact that his eldest brother left the Ponderosa. Adam meanwhile has adventures of his own far away at sea …
Rated: K 72,755 words
Captain Cartwright # 2 – To Fly With Eagles – by Krystyna
Summary: Joe leaves the Ponderosa and finds true love, extreme danger and a longing for home. It also brings Adam home from sea to join with Hoss in a search for their little brother.
Rated: K 154,265 words
Captain Cartwright # 3 – Captain, Oh My Captain – by Krystyna
Summary: Joseph Cartwright suffers what he considers a fate worse than death when an accident during a stampede causes him to face time in a wheelchair and Adam’s hopes of marriage are dashed when he is sent on an assignment to Alaska.
Rated: K+ 210,950 words
Captain Cartwright # 4 – The Commodore – by Krystyna
Summary: Ben loses the Ponderosa which is purchased by some unknown benefactor. Hoss and Joe both fall in love but only one of them ends up at the altar, and Adam is sent to the Kuril Islands to locate a missing ship.
Rated: K+ 217,930words
Captain Cartwright # 5 – Invictus – by Krystyna
Summary: Romance as well as sadness beckons for Joe, while Adam is reunited with old friends and takes on a new personna in order to protect the President.
Rated: K 281,065 words
Captain Cartwright # 6 –Carpe Diem – by Krystyna
Summary: We follow Adam into danger far away in China and enjoy the adventures of the Cartwright family on the Ponderosa, where Ben has a special assignment that brings him into contact with a very old friend.
Rated: T 207,070 words
Captain Cartwright # 7 – A New Command – by Krystyna
Summary: Adam suffers the results of his adventures in the South China Seas but finds his heart’s desire.
Rated: T 282,710 words
Captain Cartwright # 8 – A Duty to Live – by Krystyna
Summary: With his sons married with children of their own Ben has thoughts of his own future.
Rated: T 278,150 words
Captain Cartwright # 9 – All Those Tomorrows – by Krystyna
Summary: Commodore and Mrs Adam Cartwright await the birth of their first child, but it’s a time that is threatened by danger, the ambitions of a corrupt official and petty thief, and of blizzards.
Rated: K 238,200 words
Captain Cartwright #10 – Written in Stone – by Krystyna
Summary: Under a new Administration, Commodore Cartwright is sent to search for a missing murder suspect. While on the Ponderosa, a tragic event at the school leads to disaster for the family. This is the tenth story in the world of Captain Cartwright.
Rating: T 185,155 words
Summary: This story is in response to November’s Chaps and Spurs Challenge. Joe on the high seas.
Word Count: 546 Rated: K
Card Trick aka The Card Trick Quilt – by AC1830
Summary: An AU story of Adam recounting a tale from his past to his daughter.
Rating: G 2,030 words
Care Package (The) #1 – by HelenA
Summary: College freshman Adam gets a special package from home.
Rated: K 7,065 words
Care Package (The) #2 – Bridging the Gap – by HelenA
Summary: Adam returns to find that he and Joe must readjust to each other. — Sequel to ‘Care Package’.
Rated: K 48,390 words
Careful What You Wish For – by DebbieB
Summary: Hoss, tired of his younger brother always being under foot, wishes that Little Joe would just go away and leave him alone.
Rated: G 8,850 words
Synopsis: A complete parody …but who’s to say it couldn’t have happened.
Rating: T
Word Count: 2,225
Carried on the Wind – by Diana G
Summary: As Adam recovers from an accident, he wants to thank his rescuer, but that proves easier said than done.
Rating: G 29,310 words
Carson City Earthquake – by LynRobinson
Summary: Carson City Earthquake
5,600 words
Carson Encounters – by BettyHT
Summary: A crossover story that is unusual in that it is Bonanza and an original story blended together. A young woman in the Carson Valley encounters the Cartwrights and develops a long-term relationship with Adam. Life in the early era is harsh and the story reflects that and is realistic in its portrayals of daily life and the violence of the west. Rating: T Word count: 10,546
Cartwright Confessions – by AC1830
Summary: Four vignettes in which the each Cartwright decides to share a hidden truth with the others.
Rating – K, WC – 823
Cartwright Curse (The) – by HelenA
Summary: Oh, the curse of having to appease Pa with his friends. Who knew what a disaster it would lead to?
Rating: T 4,430 words
Cartwright Family (The) – by LindaBl
Synopsis: A cute new song about the Cartwrights
Rating: G Words: 270
Cartwright Figure Skating Challenge (The) – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: In honor of Susan Grote, and her love of ice skating championships.
Rating: T 4,050 words
Cartwright Gals Romancing the Ponderosa a Spinoff – Book 1: Ponderosa Schoolmarm – by Millieshepherd
Summary: Madeline Cartwright, Ben’s oldest stepdaughter, is Virginia City’s new schoolteacher. She has a school program planned but doesn’t have anyone to build the stage she needs, that is until Kevin Butler steps in. Kevin and Madeline are very close to being enemies, so the sparks are bound to fly!
Rating: T Word Count: 20,397
Cartwright Gals Romancing the Ponderosa a Spinoff – Book 2: Captive Heart – by Millieshepherd
Summary: Gabriella, the middle Cartwright stepdaughter, gets captured by outlaws and her family and fiancé, Candy Canaday search for her.
Rating: T Word Count: 16,327
Cartwright Identity Crisis – by ChristyG
Summary: Is Adam really facing the prospect of an arranged marriage?
Rating: K+ 5,270 words
Cartwright Name (The) – by SusanG
Summary: Living up to the responsibilities that come with the name, almost costs Ben the life of one of his sons.
Word Count: 18,000 Rated: T
Cartwright Romance Series #1 – Truth Be Told – by Emmy
Story Summary: A romantic tale centering on eldest Cartwright son Adam and the town’s new schoolteacher, Katherine O’Fallon.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG, mild language
Words: 11,875
Cartwright Romance Series #2 – Second Sight – by Emmy
Story Summary: A romantic tale centering on Hoss Cartwright as he meets his match in one Annie Rose Tyler.
Rating and Reader Alerts: G
Words: 10,275
Cartwright Romance Series #3 – Heart and Home – by Emmy
Story Summary: This part of my trilogy about the romantic lives of the three Cartwright sons.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG, mild language
Words: 12,625
Cartwright Romance Series #4 – Journey – by Emmy
Story Summary: In this story, Adam, Hoss and Joe Cartwright embark on a journey with their wives and families.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG, mild language
Words: 15,210
Cartwright Romance Series #5 – Katherine, My Love – by Emmy
Story Summary: Adam and Katherine Cartwright face a crisis.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG, mild language
Words: 22,856
Cartwright Romance Series #6 – Annie, My Love – by Emmy
Story Summary: Hoss and Annie Cartwright learn more about themselves, each other and their community.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG, mild language
Words: 21,925
Cartwright Romance Series #7 – Jenny, My Love – by Emmy
Story Summary: This story centers on Joe and Jenny Cartwright and takes place about a year after Annie My Love.
Rating and Reader Alerts: PG, mild language
Words: 30,025
Cartwright Vigil (The) – by AC1830
Summary – Jamie learns first- hand about a special trait of the Cartwrights.
Rating – K, Word Count – 1270
Cartwright vs. Cartwright – by debpet
Summary: One of Ben Cartwright’s sons is suing another!
Rated: K WC 2600
Summary: A tribute in rhyme for everyone who loves the Cartwrights, especially those who love to write about them.
Rating: G 560 words
Cartwrights Return or a Story of The Prodigals – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Adam left the Ponderosa more than ten years ago; and now, a letter has arrived announcing his intent to return. This story is his, as well as his family’s. Categories: Drama / AU
53,360 words Rating: T – for minor cursing.
Cartwrights, Calamities, and a Cat, Oh My – by Starlite
Summary: As the title implies, a day in the life of a certain Cartwright.
Rated: PG 7,600 words
Casey’s Candy Cane – by ElayneA
Summary: Not everyone has a family and Christmas can be a sad time. The Cartwrights throw a wonderful party where a special person gets a very special gift.
Rating: G Words 2065
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: Another person’s view of a scene from Credit For A Kill.
Rated: T 2,930 words
Cassie – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: Adam and Hoss rescue a young girl named Cassie from the river after a flash flood hits the wagon she’s traveling in. What happens next?
Rated: K+ 11,950 words
Summary: Gone for many years, two men make their way back to the Ponderosa and the family that misses them. They don’t know each other, but they end up in a critical situation that brings them close together and that leads to many changes for all.
Rating = T WC = 42,544
Cat Series #2 – Keep the Home Fires Burning – by BettyHT
Summary: Joe’s troubles are addressed as he and Ben leave on an extended trip to spend time together so that Joe can face his losses with the man best able to help him come to terms with them. That leaves Hoss and Adam to run the ranch with Candy’s help. There are plenty of fires to put out, some literal and some figurative, as the three find themselves overworked and stressed by the challenges they face.
Rating = T WC = 24,181
Summary: The Cartwrights’ new friend, Black Bear, encounters a wild cat, and they catch the tail end of the adventure.
Rating: T (2,350 words)
Catching ‘em Red-Handed – by DJK
Summary: Little Joe sets out to prove his innocence to Pa and his brothers.
Rated: K+ Word count: 3437
CAUCHEMAR à PONDEROSA – by rozenn
Summary: Pauvre Ben: il va vivre le pire cauchemar de sa vie.
Rated: MA 1,645 words
Caught in a Mouse Trap – by Terri
Summary: Adam and Hoss find themselves in a tricky situation. Who can be to blame? Watch out Joe!
Rated: K+ WC 4300
Summary: * will take more than a little rain to dampen Joe’s plans for a romantic rendezvous with a certain young lady.
Rating: T Word Count: 744
Summary: “You gotta be smart, boy, fast…” Who outsmarts whom?
870 words, rated K
Caution: Easter Bunny Crossing – by Puchi Ann
Summary: A reprisal of the episode in verse
260 words Rating K
Cavalry is Coming (The) – by McFair
Summary: A prequel to ‘A Rose for Lotta’. Ben Cartwright’s meeting with Alpheus Troy and the other mine owners did not go well. They want his timber and he won’t give it to them. The rancher knows Troy will do whatever it takes to keep his mine running, and when he arrives home to find out sixteen-year-old Little Joe is missing, he fears the worst.
Word Count: 19871 Rated PG-13 for typical Western violence
SUMMARY: Caught in an ambush, three brothers have a chance to show what’s in their hearts and take on different roles than the usual. The outlaws aren’t going to be easily defeated and rescue isn’t as near as they hoped.
Rating: T Word count = 6282
Summary: I wrote this as a Ponderosa story, but it fits in the Bonanza world as well. Warning for claustrophobics. Which I nearly was after finishing writing it
Rating: T 6,100 words
Summary: Lost in a sandstorm, the Cartwrights find a shelter in a mysterious cavern.
Rated: MA WC 4300
Celebrating 90 Glorious Years and 430 Episodes of Bonanza! – by DebbieB
Summary: I wrote this story for David Dortort’s 90th birthday party to which I was invited. In the story I used all 430 episode titles so the story might sound a bit strange to some. I had the story bound in book form for Mr. Dortort and given to him as my gift celebrating his 90 glorious years. It was my way of saying thank you for the joy he brought to so many lives and especially for the friendship that developed between us that I will always cherish. It has never been shared with anyone except David, until now.
Rated: G 5,000 words
Summary: Worried when one of his friends goes missing, Joe sets out to look for him. But he is not prepared for what he discovers.
10,100 words Rated: T
Summary: Adam’s stage is attacked and he’s left for dead – mangled and burned – will he live until the rest of his family gets to him.
Rating: PG-13 for Western-style violence 30,260 words
Summary: It seems that not one plan that Adam has seems to go the way he intends until he learns to accept that sometimes you follow plans and sometimes random events take you places you never thought you would go.
Rating: T Word Count: 28,513
Changes Past – by BluewindFarm
Summary: A what happened next for The Last Viking; an episode written by Anthony Lawrence. A story told from Adam’s point of view as he attempts to reconcile what happened to another time in his life.
Rating: K 3,665 words
Changing Rooms – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: It’s spring and the sap is rising. So naturally, the Cartwrights start to think about redecorating.
Rated: K+ WC 1750
Chanty’s Christmas – by ViveAdam
Summary: Chanty is a poor orphan maiden lost in a small village in Nevada but, on Christmas eve, a stranger in town will change her life
Rated: K WC 4400
Charity Series #1 – Fractured – by BettyHT
Summary: WHB to the Bitter Water episode. This is the backstory that explains how Adam ended his relationship with Virginia Keith, why there was tension in his friendship with Todd McCarren, and why Lem Keith disliked Adam so much. Charity is introduced in this story and will be part of a series of stories featuring her as the main OC.
rating = T WC = 18586
Charity Series #2 – Wounded Hearts – by BettyHT
Summary: A mysterious corporation threatens the Ponderosa and the other ranches in the Comstock area. There are shootings, kidnappings, and threats from unknown assailants, and Lem Keith’s daughter’s anger at Adam for perceived wrongs make for a complicated scenario.
Rating = T and WC = 23,448
Charity Series #3 – Trust Me – by BettyHT
Summary: With the Ponderosa in severe financial difficulties, Adam makes a rash and perhaps foolish decision to save his father’s dream when he takes a job and it could be the worst decision he’s ever made. He needs his family, Charity, and friends to save him from it.
Rating T 22,820 words
Charity Series #4 — Let’s Do It! – by BettyHT
Summary: There are obstacles to Adam and Charity getting married, but Adam finds a solution after overcoming those problems and seeing no other way to calm the waters. There is a budding romance for Hoss too as the story develops.
rating = T WC = 15,839
Charity Series #5 — Dreams and Challenges – by BettyHT
Summary: Now that Adam and Charity are married, they face challenges in work and in family relationships. They have dreams of a family and a home too, and they have to adjust those dreams to the reality of events over which they have no control.
rating = T WC = 22,140
Charity Series #6 — Sticks and Stones – by BettyHT
Summary: It’s Adam and Charity again but five years later. Adam’s son and Hoss’ son have a new playmate who has a secret, and it’s one that will cause a major change in the Cartwrights’ lives and in his. There are other secrets that are revealed as the story unfolds, and each one requires a response.
Rating = T WC = 31,520
Summary: Joe is falling in love.
Rated: T 13,985 words
Summary: Ben had taught his boys a code of honour that extended to others. They lived by it and he was proud of them, but would that code sustain him if it cost him one of his sons?
Word Count: 7208 Rating: T
Summary: Joe is forced to accept that sometimes a man’s fate is out of his hands. But sitting back and waiting for God to do what He would didn’t have to mean giving up hope.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 2,600
Summary: Adam cheats on a test, in order to win a bet.
Rated: K 3,705 words
Summary: It’s all a matter of perspective.
Written for day 5 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 979
Summary: An evening playing chess and memories hover …
Rating: K+ 1,510 words
Summary: Ben decides to teach a 4 year old Joe about sharing, but roles are reversed and Ben receives the lesson.
Rated: K WC 1500
Cheers! – by VRON
Summary: Adam is reluctant to go to the local dance.
Raging: G Words: 7,875
Cherry (The) Tree Saga – by Robin
Summary: Like the ever changing seasons, life blooms and dies on the Ponderosa.
Rating T 140,000 words
Chickens (The) – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: A Squawking tale about a shipment of chickens for Hop Sing.
Rating: T 1,850 words
Childless Horror – by Camera Chic
Summary: A prequel. Little Joe has been kidnapped by a mean man and his ill wife. As he tries to deal with captivity, Adam, newly home from college, searches for his little brother whom he hasn’t seen since before he left for college.
Rated: T 25,335
Children are a Gift From God – by Alley May
Summary: “A poem Ben would dedicate to his sons.”
Rated: K 407 words
Children Shall Lead (The) – by BettyHT
Summary: This is a prequel about how Ben found the spot for the Ponderosa, but it is told as a story about Adam and Hoss and how they met Young Wolf. There is also some insight into how Adam developed into the man he became.
Rating: PG Word count: 4057
Summary: Adam goes on an errand for a sick man and finds a cat, a dead town, and an adventure.
Rating: G 10,550 words
Summary: Cousins, cousins and more cousins. Hop Sing’s relatives make the Ponderosa a real China-Rosa. Poor Ben isn´t very happy about that and even less about his three sons.
A little parodistic comedy set around 1854, a late prequel .
Rated: K+ WC 3600
Chinese Molasses #1 – by DebbieB
This story is available via e:mail only. Due to Debbie’s death, we ask reader reach out to the Brandsters to request a copy. Please e:mail: Brandsters2020@gmail.com
Summary: Safe once again, 15 year old Joe struggles to re-establish himself within the family unit. Share the nightmarish experience as Joe recalls his days of terror at the hands of a man who required only two things fro him, his body and his soul.
Rated: R adult situations 16,500 words .
Chinese Molasses #2 – Frightened Beyond Reason – by DebbieB
This story is available via e:mail only. Due to Debbie’s death, we ask reader reach out to the Brandsters to request a copy. Please e:mail: Brandsters2020@gmail.com
Summary: While on a San Francisco holiday, Joe mysteriously disappears. When Ben, Adam and Hoss learn that Lin Wong, the evil Chinaman who had adducted Joe five years earlier has been recently released from prison and spotted in the area, they begin a massive search for their missing family member. Meanwhile, Little Joe is held prisoner deep in the hull of a sailing ship. Lin Wong is teaching Joe a new meaning to the word fear and Joe is quickly slipping from the real world into a world where there is no fear. Will Lin Wong fulfill his promise that he made to Joe five years ago?
Rated: R Warning subject matter contains violence, abuse and sexual content. May not be suitable for all readers. 27,550 words .
Chinese Molasses #3 – In My Father’s House – by DebbieB
This story is available via e:mail only. Due to Debbie’s death, we ask reader reach out to the Brandsters to request a copy. Please e:mail: Brandsters2020@gmail.com
Summary: Weeks after returning home from his terrifying experience at the hands of the evil Lin Wong, Joe wrestles with the guilt and shame he feels for what happened to him. As he struggles to come to terms, he finds strength and comfort in the loving arms of his family who each take time to express to him their inner most feelings that they have in their hearts for the youngest member of the family.
Rated: G 14,000 words
Even though this story is G-rated, it will be difficult to follow if the reader has not read the previous stories within the series.
Chinese Molasses #4 – Prelude to Rebirth – by DebbieB
This story is available via e:mail only. Due to Debbie’s death, we ask reader reach out to the Brandsters to request a copy. Please e:mail: Brandsters2020@gmail.com
Summary: A shooting is described to some extent and may be passed over without affecting the plot of the story.
Even though this story is G-rated, it will be difficult to follow if the reader has not read the previous stories within the series.
Chinese Molasses #5 – The Rebirth of Joe Cartwright – by DebbieB
This story is available via e:mail only. Due to Debbie’s death, we ask reader reach out to the Brandsters to request a copy. Please e:mail: Brandsters2020@gmail.com
Summary: This IS the final chapter to Chinese Molasses, a story I once thought finished. But with so many requests for more, I was forced into adding to the ongoing plot. Prelude to Rebirth, will explain without details, what really happened to Joe Cartwright when Lin Wong returned unexpectedly a year later. After believing to be dead, Lin Wong enters the Cartwright home and finds Joe alone. From that meeting, Joe’s nightmare becomes a reality that takes him from one lifetime into another, where he seeks refuge. The Rebirth of Joe Cartwright, tells of Joe’s struggles, his strengths, and his determination to rise above what this highly abusive man inflicted upon him. The unconditional love of Ben Cartwright, is highly portrayed and much of Joe’s recovery is credited to his father.
Rated: G May be read with or without Prelude to Rebirth 24,000 words
Even though this story is rated G, it will be difficult to follow the why, if the previous stories in the series have not been read.
Summary: Ben faces the revenge of a woman bent on killing one of the Cartwright sons…but which one? The choice is Ben’s … but how can he even start to consider such a decision when it means the death of Adam or Hoss or, perhaps, even Joe.
Rating: T 32,400 words
Summary: Adam falls in love with an intelligent but sassy woman. Will he be able to face her ultimate challenge?
Rated K+ 21,070 word
Summary: Adam and his family deal with the consequences of a difficult choice. A WHN for the episode “Death At Dawn.”
Rating: PG 132,800 words
Summary: Adam’s best friend from college comes for a visit.
Rating: G 11,000 words
Summary: A WHN for First Born. Clay returns to the Ponderosa. Will trouble follow him again?
Rating: T 8,330 words
Summary: Ben is faced with a difficult moral decision that could cost him the life of one of his sons.
Rated: T 14,720 words
Summary: The vote in favor of statehood has been cast. Now, in the aftermath of the convention, as one Cartwright struggles with heartache, another learns about respect. A WHN for “The War Comes to Washoe.”
Rated: K+ WC 3200
Summary: Joe Cartwright’s friends are dying and he doesn’t know why. Part one of a three part story. Each story stands alone.
WC 22,000 Rated: MA subject matter
Choices #2 – Shadows – by Cheaux
Summary: The family struggles with the consequences of Joe’s ordeal. Shadows is a sequel to Choices but stands alone.
WC 8500 Rated: T
Choices #3 – Hunger – by Cheaux
Summary: Adam’s quest to find answers. Hunger follows the events in Choices and Shadows. It is not necessary to have read the previous stories.
WC 17,000 Rated: T
Choices and Risks – by BettyHT
Summary: Seeing injustice, Adam has to act, but his actions and the consequences from them pull his family into that quest too. In the end, all of them make choices knowing the risks involved.
Rating: T Word count: 14,366
Choosing #1 – Choosing Blue – by BettyHT
Summary: Adam and Joe go to War, but it’s not your usual brother against brother Civil War story. There’s not much about war, but there is spying, romance with a little help from a brother, a tale of revenge, and suffering among other things.
Rating: T Word count: 15,777
Choosing #2 – Choosing Sides – by BettyHT
Summary: The family has to deal with sabotage and assault without knowing the source or the purpose. Working together, they defend themselves against a plot hatched by men from their past who form an unlikely alliance against them. Rating: T Word count: 17,610
Summary: It’s a race against the clock as the three Cartwright brothers use whatever’s on hand to prepare a dinner for twenty!
Rated: Family Friendly Word count: 1800
Summary: One of our founding Ladies was a lawyer/whirlwind by the name of Katie. She was into everything and we had trouble going places and not running into people she knew. Her appetite for life knew few limits and those were generally NOT self-imposed. Katie had one bad habit that we ever found: she never knew what day it was without a calendar.
Rated K+ Word Count: 1350
Synopsis: Ben and young Adam forced by an unexpected snowstorm, must halt their journey west. Only then does Ben realize he almost missed Christmas.
Rating G 7,625 words
Christmas Afghan (The) – by MissJudy
Summary: A cold ride home in the pelting snow, followed by a sweet conversation with his father, gives Adam a memorable Christmas Eve.
Rating: G Word Count: 6734
Christmas after Marie – by pjb
Summary: Even in the midst of grief, Christmas is still a time for miracles.
Rated: K WC 13,600
Summary: Just when Adam thought the first Christmas without his wife couldn’t be bleaker, something magical happens.
Written for day 19 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 1155
Christmas Apart – by Foreverfree
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar.
Rating: K 1,810 words
Christmas at the Cartwrights – by eve
Summary: A Christmas story at the Cartwright household introducing a new family member.
Rated: K (5,450)
Summary: A seasonal Bonanza story
Rated: K 1,965 words
Summary: Adam ponders the blessing of family at the end of a joyful Christmas.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 2,060
Christmas Candle – by SKLamb
Summary: To some degree, this is a WHBefore for “Elizabeth, My Love,” and “The Burma Rarity.”
Rating: G Words 1,650
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Christmas Child (The) – by Hart4Ben
Summary: It’s Christmas on the Ponderosa with some unexpected visitors.
Rating: K Word Count: 2394
Christmas Comes but Once a Year – by Sue
Summary: Little Joe gets into trouble…a few times
Rated: K+ WC 10,500
Christmas Comes Early – by DonnaM
Summary: Joe’s story about Santa getting lost in Texas is based on “Santa Got Lost In Texas,” a song from the “Christmas on the Ponderosa” album. Books mentioned in the final scene are figments of the author’s imagination.
Rating: K 6,500 words
Christmas Decorations – by Sibylle
Summary: Decorating for the holidays doesn’t always go smoothly. A lighthearted story about Christmas preparations.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: K+ Word Count: 1335 words
Christmas Engine (The) – by VickiC.
Summary: Good little boys always get what they ask for at Christmas, even if Santa has to have a little help sometimes.
Rating: G (4,695 words)
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – by fanofoldtvshows
Summary: Joe reads to his nieces and nephews on Christmas Eve. :
Written for day 23 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 1070
Christmas Gift (The) – by pbeaking
Summary: Ben’s granddaughter, Lizzy gives her grandfather a special Christmas gift. This story touches upon the importance of family, remembering those who have passed and those that cannot be with us. Just a short story for the Holiday Season. Enjoy!
Rating: K 1,780 words
Christmas Gift (The) – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Little Joe’s recent misbehavior has him singing the “I’m Gettin’ Nothing for Christmas” blues.
Rating: K 1155 words
Christmas Gift (The) – by Judy
Summary: The best gift ever.
Rated: PG
Word Count: 19,366
Christmas has Come – McFair_58
Summary: No one signed up for the fourth, so this day was opened to all members in the Forums to try their hand at writing poetry for the season.
Rating: G 350 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Christmas Hostage (The) – by Belle
Summary: With gratitude to L. Frank Baum for providing inspiration.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 3,570
Christmas in July – by Truthwriter
Summary: This piece is based on a reference from the Season One episode, “The Avenger”.
Written for the 2017 Advent Calendar
Rating: T (555 words)
Christmas is Coming – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Preparing for Christmas is a time consuming job, especially if you are a Cartwright.
Rated: K+ WC 2500
Christmas Lamb (The) – by JC
Summary: In this tongue-in-cheek tale told in rhyme, Hoss makes a surprising discovery in the snow and brings home another stray for Christmas
Rating: G Words 1,000
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Christmas Letter ( The ) – by mumu74
Summary: The legacy of Ben Cartwright.
Written for day 22 of the 2021 Advent Calendar.
Rating: G Word Count: 1057
Summary: Chrstimas letters from each of the Cartwrights
Rated: K+ 2,285 words
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 22
Summary: There’s disappointment when the Cartwrights can’t be home on Christmas Eve.
Rating: G 1,600 words
Christmas Memories – by Mamse5
Summary: Joe attempts to handle the Christmas traditions while his family recovers from influenza. But there’s another winter storm on the way. Will he make it home safe?
Rated: K WC 5500
Christmas Payroll (The) – by Rona
Summary: Collecting the Christmas payroll is such an ordinary chore, that the Cartwrights can hardly believe when things go so wrong.
7,660 words Rated: T
Summary: Ben, Adam, and Hoss find out there’s a lot more behind getting just the right Christmas present for Pa.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 810
Christmas Presents – by BeckyS
Summary: A last-minute shopping trip almost ends in tragedy. Christmas morning finds all marveling in the blessing of family.
Rating: G 2,740 words
Christmas Presents – by Sibylle
Summary A prequel about a young Little Joe, set in the fall of 1850 while Adam is away in Boston.
WC 2100
Christmas Secret (The) – by HarpistforHim
Summary: A young Little Joe wants to know which of his brothers will be getting him a special gift for Christmas, but Adam isn’t in the mood for spilling secrets. A short holiday story set during the early years of the Ponderosa.
Word Count: 739 Rating: G
Summary: Little Joe learns something special about Christmas, with the help of his brothers.
Rating: T, WC 947
Summary: Life on a ranch the size of the Ponderosa can be all encompassing at times, and as Christmas approaches, one finds the need to take a better look at himself and the lessons that were supposed to be remembered.
Rated: PG
Word Count: 5700
Summary: The Ponderosa prepares for Christmas
Rating: G
Note: This greeting was prepared for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, originated in the Forums.
Christmas Story 2011 – by storm
Summary: This story started with just the first line repeating in my head and took off from there. I hope I can come up with one each year that’s why the title is what it is. If not…well we’ll leave that to the muses.
Rated: K+ WC 1400
Summary: Written originally for Bonanza Gold, here is a little tale of a surprise at Christmas, funnily enough!
Rated: T 1,170 words
Christmas Surprise (The) – by deansgirl
Summary: The first Christmas after Marie died was going to be a sad one. Can Adam and Hoss make the season bright after all?
Rated: K+ 2,240 words
Christmas Tableaux (the) – by Harper
Summary: Joe proves what Ben has always known, the Cartwrights have never had good luck in pageantry.
Rated: K+ 5,705 words
Christmas that Almost Wasn’t (The) – by Cheaux
Summary: Something’s wrong and the fix comes from an unexpected source
Rating: G Words: 1,170
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar – Day 21
Summary: Tears of disappointment turn into a lesson of compassion for a brother.
Rating: G 720 words
Christmas Tradition – by BluewindFarm
Summary: An earlier request and a shopping trip well before the season help expand a Christmas Tradition.
Rating: G Words: 1,575
Note: This story was written for the Bonanza Brand 2020 Advent Calendar, posted in the Forums.
Christmas Traditions – by patina
Summary: Sometimes traditions bring back memories and sometimes memories are created with new traditions.
Rating: K+ Word Count=7920
Christmas Tree Surprise (The) – by wx4rmk
Summary: Ben sets out to surprise his sons at Christmas. However, when things take a turn for the worst, Ben does something he has failed to do in a long time.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 1,000
Christmas Tree Surprise (The) – by BettyHT
Summary: Written for the 2016 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Rating: K 2,480 words
Christmas Visitor (The) – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Home alone on Christmas Eve; a special visitor keeps watch over a young man.
Rating: G 910 words
Summary: Could it be that St. Nicholas himself ensures that Ben’s Christmas wish comes true.
Rating: G 8,140 words
Christmas Wishes#1 – Of Winters Past – by BluewindFarm
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar
Summary: Ben and Little Joe enjoy an evening during what might be one of the last winters Joe enjoys snuggling on his Pa’s lap.
Rating: G 820 words
Christmas Wishes #2 – Our Little Piece of Snow-Covered Heaven – by BluewindFarm
This story was written for the 2017 Advent Calendar
Summary: Ben searches for a missing son, amid memories of a certain winter.
Rating: G 1450 words
Summary: Adam muses about church bells. Or about his family?
730 words, rated K
Church Picnic (The) – by Sibylle
Summary: It’s a short story about a peaceful Sunday afternoon in town with the whole family. Or wasn’t it so peaceful? Prequel: around 1846.
Rated: K+ WC 3550
Summary: A church social brings tragedy to Virginia City and the Ponderosa.
6,365 words Rated: K
Cinnamon Rose – by pkmoonshine
Summary: Hoss, age 15, falls in love for the first time . . . and yes! The young lady’s feelings are mutual.
Rating K+ WC 37,000
Summary – Spending the day fishing can open up all sorts of discussions. Adam asks Joe for help with his troubled grandson, but the child isn’t the only one helped by the fresh air and touch of home that the Ponderosa offers. Thanks to a friend for the title.
Rating – K, Word Count – 4990
Circumstances Beyond our Control – by Kenda
Summary: A missing scene for the aired episode, “A Matter of Circumstance”.
Rated: K WC 7900
Circumstances of His Return (The) – by McFair_58
Summary: A violent storm, a frightened mare, and the matter of his homecoming. My entry for the 2021 ‘Man in Black’ challenge.
Rated: PG Word count: 10,999
Summary: A Christmas peek at Ben and Adam on the trail West.
Rating: G (4,040 words)
Summary: A sequel to the episode First Born – A chance meeting in an hotel reunites Joe with his brother Clay. But is Clay’s past about to catch up with him again?
Rated: T 10,585 words
Summary: A brother can be a big help when it comes to cleaning up a mess.
Rated: K+ Word count: 7079
Summary: A sort of Valentine story for the February Chaps and Spurs challenge. A What Happened Next for The Julia Bulette episode using the words: Joy, Frosting, Dream, Valentine and Sparkling.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 1550
Close Call – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: A short piece written for a good laugh. Hope you will laugh as hard as my sister and I did!
Rating: K+ 1,760 words
Close to a Guarantee – by Foreverfree
Summary: This is a combined WHN/WHI for The Tall Stranger.
Rating: K+ 722 words
Closed Door (The) #1 – by HelenB
Summary: Ben says something to Joe that he didn’t think he would ever say to one of his sons.
Rating: T
Closed Door (The) #2 – Door to the Past – by HelenB
Summary: Joe crosses paths with the men who were involved in his kidnapping. And what is the secret Joe’s family are keeping from him?
Rating: T 24, 025 words
Closing the Book – by Questfan
Summary: Adam finally comes home and has to face something he’s kept buried for many years. Can he close the book on a dark chapter of his life?
Word Count: 3183 Rating: T
Clothes Make the Man – by Cheaux
Summary: Does a man’s sartorial splendor have any bearing on events in his life?
WC 600 Rated: K
Clouds – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: The Missing Scenes from Truckee Strip
Rating: T 1,510 word
Summary: WHN for “My Brother’s Keeper”. Caught in a blizzard, Adam and Joe are forced to confront the rift that has grown between them.
Rated: K+ 9900
Summary: The Union army conscripts one member from every family to fight in the burgeoning war between the State. How is it that all three Cartwright sons become involved in the war?
Rating: T 45,770 words
Cold Isn’t All Bad (The) – by wx4rmk
Summary: Cold temperatures on the Ponderosa can be downright miserable especially when it lasts for weeks. With everyone becoming restless, Adam comes up with a creative and fun activity to combat cabin fever.
Rating: K / Word Count: 1343
This is a collection of short vignettes meant to be enjoyed like chocolates from a box. Each vignette was inspired by a prompt in the form of a quote from literature. The quote and its source is used to title each vignette. Acknowledgement is given to the authors that provided inspiration and to JC for choosing the quotes for the 2024 Pinecone Challenges. Characters, topics, and genres are varied, and all questions are not answered.
Summary: For the June Chaps and Spurs. Adam had a crazy romance in college.
Rated: K+ 865 words
College Years (The) #1 – by Jenniferk22
Summary: This is a story about Adam’s journey from childhood into adulthood.
Rating: PG-13 (59,925 words
College Years (The) #2 – The Escape … Journey Back to Boston – by Jenniferk22
Summary: Adam’s journey back to the Ponderosa after graduating college.
Rating: T (47,185 words)
Summary: On a business trip to Sacramento, Adam makes an astonishing discovery regarding the events surrounding Marie’s death and it creates a turmoil of emotions for Ben and the boys. Alternate Universe.
Rating: K+ Word Count: 31,205
Color of Chocolate (The) – by DebbieB
Summary: Chocolate has more meaning to Little Joe than just a piece of cake. It keeps appearing in his dream and the vision scares him.
Rated G WC 9200
Summary: Colors on the Ponderosa can come from unexpected places. My entry for World Poetry Day.
Rating – K, WC – 112
Come Hell or High Water – by pbeaking
Summary: This story highlights what happens when you have a friendly game between three brothers, two not so bright criminals, a heaping amount of missing chicken, and a desire to use word association to your best advantage.
Rating: K+ WC 11,800
Summary: A yearly ride that usually brings sadness brings something else this time. The choice of the main character is yours.
Rated: K+ 2,745 words
Summary: Fourteen-year-old Hoss has a plan. With the help of Little Joe and Old Ned, he may just be able to surprise Pa and Adam this Christmas.
Rating: G 3,900 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: A WHN for The First Born
Rated:K+ 4,410 words
Summary: A wild stallion and a nine-year-old boy teach Adam a lesson he never learned in college.
Rated: K+ WC 6300
Summary: This was written in response to the October Chaps and Spurs challenge. I hope you like it. A story as it should have happened.
Rated: K+ WC 1200
Coming Home for Christmas – by Rona
Summary: Christmas is fast approaching on the Ponderosa, but for the Cartwrights, it is not the season to be jolly, for Joe has been missing for two months. What has happened to him and will he ever come home?
11,235 words Rated: T
Summary: When Joe is the lone survivor of a horrific accident, he finds himself questioning a God who allows bad things to happen to good people. His faith in God, his fellowman, his family and in himself are tested in this story that I dedicated to those who have at one time or another asked, ‘Why God? Why?’
Rated: G 14,675 words
Summary: Joe makes a commitment without fully understanding what’s involved.
WC 1200 Rated: T
Commitment of Charlie Angelus (The) — a REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: If only they hadn’t stopped in that town.
Rating: T 1,140 words
Common Ground – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: When Ben sends Adam and Hoss to repair an old line shack, strange things happen.
Rated K+ Word Count: 12050
Summary: This is another story I wrote for the November Chaps and Spurs challenge. The truth be told, did Adam really say that to Pa? And just what was it that Ben thought he heard?
Rated: K+ 1450
Company You Keep (The) – by DJK
Summary: Sheriff Coffee has a lesson to teach Ben Cartwright’s son.
Rated: K+ Word count: 1320
Summary: A villain who thinks he’s a hero explains his “reasoning” to an Incapacitated Little Joe.
Rating: MA Warnings: Language & Violence—a brutal attack on a woman is alluded to but not described explicitly.
WC 2250
Summary: The Cartwright brothers lose their way on a dangerous ride home…
Rating: K+ (11,050 words)
Summary: No man should get all the attention.
Rating: K 6,025 words
Competition #2 – Comeuppance – by Belle
Summary: Terrance has everything he ever wanted: the love of a wonderful woman, the town’s admiration, and a boisterous friendship with Little Joe. What could possibly go wrong?
Rating: K+ Word Count: 6278
Concerning Teeth and Fairies – by deansgirl
Summary: Little Joe struggles in his efforts to lose his first tooth and prove that he is a man.
Rated: K+ 7,120 words
SUMMARY: Joe is hurt and wonders if the dream he had was a dream because it seemed so real. It’s the kind of thing he rather wishes might be true, but then again, could this really be?
Rating = T Word count = 1450
Summary: While Ben enjoys a night out, his boys unwittingly let him in on their less than noble plans.
Rated: Family Friendly / Word count: 1159
Confessions by the Campfire – by BettyHT
Summary: Sitting in near darkness around a campfire can help men reveal thoughts and feelings to each other that they otherwise would conceal. The Cartwrights are like that.
Rating: PG Word count: 1,817
Families often share and share alike, but sometimes you get, sometimes you get got, and sometimes you get even. (Written for Camp in the Pines)
Rating: T Word Count: 2592
Summary: Adam and Joe fight and Ben steps in to help.
Rating: K+ 80
Confronting the Past – by Katie
Summary: When you least expect it, the past is right in front of you.
Rating: T (2,035 words)
Confusion – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Ever wondered exactly why Joe gets maimed on such a regular basis? The Giggly Sisters explain all.
Rated: T WC 2400
Summary: Inspired by the July Writers Challenge – Adam and Little Joe’s relationship is tested when Adam returns from College.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 3100
Conquering the Stillness Within – Book 1 – by Kenda
Summary: Conquering the Stillness Within” is an alternate universe story to the 12th season aired episode “The Stillness Within.” Or maybe better put a, “What if it would have happened like this. . .” story. Although the character of Jamie Hunter appeared in “The Stillness Within,” he doesn’t appear in “Conquering.” Candy, who did not appear in “The Stillness Within,” is included in this fanfiction story.
Rated: K+ 49,455 words
Conquering the Stillness Within – Book 2 – by Kenda
Summary: Conquering the Stillness Within” is an alternate universe story to the 12th season aired episode “The Stillness Within.” Or maybe better put a, “What if it would have happened like this. . .” story. Although the character of Jamie Hunter appeared in “The Stillness Within,” he doesn’t appear in “Conquering.” Candy, who did not appear in “The Stillness Within,” is included in this fanfiction story.
Rated: K+ 42,425 words
Conquering the Stillness Within – Book 3 – by Kenda
Summary: Conquering the Stillness Within” is an alternate universe story to the 12th season aired episode “The Stillness Within.” Or maybe better put a, “What if it would have happened like this. . .” story. Although the character of Jamie Hunter appeared in “The Stillness Within,” he doesn’t appear in “Conquering.” Candy, who did not appear in “The Stillness Within,” is included in this fanfiction story.
Rated: K+ 31,570 words
Conquering the Stillness Within – Book 4 – A Fitting Goodbye – by Kenda
Summary: A story inspired by the 14th season aired episode “Stallion.” Joe has been the person his father leaned on during the difficult months after Hoss’ death. Now it’s Ben who must help Joe find a way to say a fitting goodbye to the brother he loved.
Rated: K 5,415 words
Summary: Joe must know about his father’s past with Julia Bulette, even to the point of pushing his father into a lie. Set shortly after “The Julia Bulette Story”. A challenge story “Can you write from an outline”
Rated: T WC 1900
Consequences Unforeseen – by Diana G
Summary: Jake Tattersall comes to the Ponderosa looking for revenge. Will his actions destroy the unity of the Cartwright family?
Rating: PG-13 for violence 16,140 words
Summary: It’s a dastardly plot involving trickery, attempted murder, false accusations, and more, but the Cartwrights will work together even letting Joe lead the planning to defeat the villains.
Rating: T Word count: 11,924
Summary: A WHN/WHIB for the episode “Amigo”
Rated: K+ WC 5900
Summary: Some of the citizens of Virginia City become upset when the Cartwrights let a gypsy family take temporary residence on the Ponderosa.
Rated: T 7,560 words
Summary: Adam has been gone and the family has lost touch with him. On the eve of Joe’s wedding, each of them will be thinking about their family.
Rating = G WC = 4901
Contemplations in Church – by Puchi Ann
Summary: When a frilled bonnet and an old man’s sermon compete for a young man’s attention, which one do you think will win?
Rated: K WC 1200
Summary: Hoss finds out you can be a winner in more ways than one.
Rated: Family Friendly / Word count: 1085
Summary: Desperadoes and a contract with the Army spells trouble for those on the Ponderosa.
Rating: T 16,650 words
Contract (The) #2 – The Price of Courage – by Gwynne
Summary: The following script, based on the story The Contract, was submitted to Bonanza in early 1963 by a kind agent willing to take on an unsold writer. The script was rejected as ‘well done, but too expensive in production.”
Rating: PG-13 19,427 words
Summary: After a run-in with a band of thieves, Adam and Joe find themselves three thousand dollars short and a long way from home. Things go from bad to worse when Adam realizes he might have gotten hit on the head a little harder than he’d originally thought. Finding your way home is difficult when you can’t see, though not nearly as challenging as hiding an injury from your baby brother.
Word Count: 2830 Rating: G
Summary: A series of utterly random, hopefully humorous conversations written as responses to Pinecone Challenges this year.
Rating: K Word Count: 4051
Conversations Along the Trail – DJK
Summary This is a compilation of five vignettes that take place on Ben Cartwright’s trip West. They were written in response to challenges on a former website and focus on Ben and a young Adam.
Words: 2274 Rating: K+
Summary: All Hoss wanted was a cookie.
Rated: K 1,280 words
Summary: This is a prequel in which Little Joe should learn some lessons about telling the truth and doing what is right, but does he? Sadly, Little Joe has a habit of only learning the hard way.
Rating: PG Word Count: 1,535
Cooking with Steamy Julia – A REALLY Lost Episode – by Robin
Summary: Cooking isn’t the only thing happening in the kitchen, and elsewhere.
Rating: M 715 words
Cost of Being Right (The) – by lminzer
Summary: Joe is tossed in jail after a barroom brawl, and he spends the night contemplating the punishment that awaits him once Pa finds out…
Rated: K+ WC 2300
Summary: A cougar is loose on the Ponderosa.
Rating: T 7,420 words
Summary: While looking for strays, fifteen-year-old Joe spots some tracks that he feels compelled to investigate, despite knowing the objections his family would raise.
Rated: K WC 1700
Counterfeit Affair (The) – by AC1830
Summary: After several failed romances, Adam claims he needs a break from romancing women. But as the saying goes, never say never. Written for the 2022 Camp in the Pines. Rating: K, Word count: 10,216
Counterpoint: Alleluia – by sklamb
Inspired by sklamb’s “Not Without My Son.” The two stories included are a collaboration between JoaniePaiute and sklamb.
A double-vision exploration of the conclusion to “The Crucible,” prompted by Cheaux’s November 15 2013 Pinecone challenge. Although these stories can stand alone, they were written in close coordination and benefit from being read in sequence.
Rated: T
Counterpoint:
Michael Rode the Butter Shore by Joanie Paiute
Alleluia by sklamb
Counter-Point: Michael Rode the Butter Shore – by JoaniePaiute
Inspired by sklamb’s “Not Without My Son.” The two stories included are a collaboration between JoaniePaiute and sklamb.
A double-vision exploration of the conclusion to “The Crucible,” prompted by Cheaux’s November 15 2013 Pinecone challenge. Although these stories can stand alone, they were written in close coordination and benefit from being read in sequence.
Rated: T
Counter-Point: Michael Rode the Butter Shore – by JoaniePaiute
Alleluia by SKLamb
Summary: A What Happened Next for the episode ‘The Countess’. What happens when the Countess returns to the Ponderosa?
Rated: K+ 8,675 words
Counting Mistakes – by BluewindFarm
Summary: How many mistakes could he make in one afternoon?
Rating: K 1,415 words
Counting Stars – by BluewindFarm
Summary: Ben asks Hoss to go get Joe, which leads to a brotherly conversation about the one who’s missing. —
1,210 words Rating: K
Coup de foundre a Virginia – by ViveAdam
Summary: Joe rencontre Christine, écuyère dans une compagnie de romanichels. Immédiatement, leurs coeurs s’enflamment mais l’un des deux va devoir tout quitter pour l’autre
Rated: K+ WC 17,000
Summary: Joe is still wrestling with his fears. WHN for Season 6, Between Heaven and Earth.
Rating: K+ 589 words
Courage aka The Mountain Trek – by Krystyna
Summary: Bravery isn’t the absence of fear as Adam tells Joe, but carrying on as you know you should in spite of it.
Rating: T 3,780 words
Summary: A comic story inspired by a long-ago challenge at Bonanza World. Thanks to lminzer for her wonderful story “Shield,” which made me realize just how much Hoss protects Joe, and to sklamb for her thoughts on the Virtues.
Rated: K+ WC 6000
Course of True Love (The) – by Rona
Summary: A beautiful and very young widow comes to town and Joe falls for her. Is he destined for a happy ending this time?
13,325 words Rated: T
Summary: Adam makes a desperate decision that may lead to tragedy for the Cartwright family.
Rated: K+
Covered Wagon (The) – bonanzagirl
Summary: Joe and Adam make an unexpected discovery on a hunting trip
Rating: M Word Count: 16200
Summary: Brothers cover for brothers. For Little Joe it is just that simple, for Adam not exactly.
Rated: K Word count: 7990
Summary: A simple little story about a cow who one fine morning finds herself in a not so fine situation.
Rating: G (Words: 5,876)
Cowboy and the Lamp (The) – by KateP
Summary: Joe is caught in a blizzard on Christmas Eve.
Rated: K+ 3,550 words
Cowboy Boots and Dancing Shoes, Part 1 – by AC1830
Summary: It is 1875. After recovering from some family tragedies, Adam and Joe still don’t have their spark back. Their wives come up with a plan to light their fires again.
Rating: K 2354 words
Cowboy Boots and Dancing Shoes, Part 2 – by AC1830
Summary: Adam and Joe are on their “vacations” planned by their wives. Will they each be able to finally deal with their grief as well as rekindle their love for their wives? This is a continuation of Cowboy Boots and Dancing Shoes. I suggest reading, or re-reading, that one before beginning this story. Also, I’ll issue a “tissue alert” for this one.
WC = 7694 Rating = K+
Summary: Thrice upon a time there was a father with a young son in want of a mother at Christmas. Written for the 2025 Advent Calendar.
Rated: K+ (1,410 words)
Summary: After finding his wife’s favorite platter broken, Ben enters the ring with Little Joe. Who will emerge the victor?
Rated: Family Friendly / Word count: 2735
Summary: Joe and Hoss scare themselves one night, come to Adam’s room and tell him the story of the crazy lady. Prequel/Young Cartwrights/Humor
Rated: K+ WC 700
Creatures Stirring – by SusanG
Summary: As stewards of the land, every now and then, the Cartwrights need someone to watch over them, especially this Christmas Eve.
Rating: G 7,950 words
Creatus Arrisum Est – by AMG
Summary: An unexpected adventure and some equally unexpected help, from the perspective of each of the characters involved. A little bit of suffering Adam.
Rating: PG Words: 11,720
Crime and Punishment – by Sibylle
Summary: Abigail Jones and Joe Cartwright take a journey together on business neither of them ever expected to have.
Rated: T WC 4700
Summary: Adam tried to get Joe out of trouble with Pa and Miss Jones, but only succeeds in making trouble for himself.
Rating: PG (13,470 words)
Crossing the Rubicon… Again – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Little Joe is asked to fill in again as Sheriff of Rubicon, but surely nothing could go wrong this time.
Rating: K+ 2794 words
Summary: An accident that takes place when he’s visiting home from college helps Adam to decide whether or not to stay on the Ponderosa.
Rated: K+ 5,930 words
Summary: Adam’s choices regarding his torment at the hands of a madman result in an ever-widening ripple effect. A WHN/WHI for “The Crucible.”
Rated: MA WC 35,000
Crucible (The)- WHN – by BluewindFarm
Summary: This is what happens when a writer responds multimple challenges. Four variations on the same story.
Rating: T 2,290 words
Cry of the Dove (The) – by debpet
Summary: Adam encounters Regina Darien again. Will fate allow them to stay together this time? Or will tragedy overtake them?
Rated: K+ WC 16,000
Crystal Ball Predictions – by DebbieB
Summary: When Adam suddenly inherits a son, Joe is washed away by a flash flood, Ben breaks a leg and Hoss leaves home in search of his missing brother, the Cartwrights begin to wish they had never visited the fortune teller.
Rated: G 32,000 words
Summary: The Cartwrights have to work to devise a plan to outsmart some crafty beavers who are causing mayhem on the Ponderosa.
Rating: K / Word Count: 1843
Cup of Bitterness (The) – by Questfan
Summary: After being cleared for shooting Zach Crenshaw in self-defense, Joe tried to square things with Zach’s father. While he thought he was helping Amos Crenshaw to dig a well, Amos had other plans for that hole. A WHI for “The Wormwood Cup.”
Rating: K+ Word Count: 9,689
Cupid’s Messenger – by DebbieB & JennieA
Summary: Cupid delivers a Valentine’s message. Let’s see if Adam can worm his way out of this one!
Rated: G 11,540 words
Cupid’s Messenger – by JennieA & DebbieB
Summary: Cupid delivers a Valentine’s message. Let’s see if Adam can worm his way out of this one!
Rated: G 11,540 words
Curiosity – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: They say that curiosity killed the cat, but what happens when one of the Cartwright boy’s let’s his nosiness get the better of him?
Rated: K+ 1,010 Words
Summary: A Halloween story. It all starts with a harmless visit to the circus.
Rating: PG Word Count: 6000
Curse of Black Crow (The) – by Annie K Cowgirl
Summary: A journey home turns into a nightmare that will never be forgotten.
Rating: T Word Count: 3,618
Curse of Bodie (The) – by McFair
Summary: In 2269 an archaeologist digging in the ruins of the Bodie mine on Earth discovers skeletal remains dating to 1876. On the wrist of the dead man, who is wearing a green jacket, is an alien device. Its discovery sends the crew of the Enterprise into the past to Ben Cartwright’s Ponderosa where the eddies of time and an alien menace are moving together to doom Ben’s youngest son.
Rated: PG-13 for western violence and adult situations 77,500 words
Curse of the Blue Dress (The) – by patina
Summary: One little dress, so much trouble.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 4802
Curse of the Faceless Fiend (The) – by ChristyG
Summary: Convinced the Ponderosa is haunted, Little Joe, Hoss, and Hop Sing join forces to resist the ancient evil, despite Adam’s protestations.
Rating: K+ 3,985 words