Bonanza Brand FanFiction Library

Summary: Shelia Johnson, Little Joe Cartwright’s fiancée, gets captured and held hostage by the Lassiters. A WHI for Five Sundowns to Sunup.

Rating: T

Word Count: 10,268

The Cartwright brothers compete against one another on Virginia City’s newest game show. Will it be bachelor #1, Bachelor #2, or Bachelor #3?

Rating: T   Word Count: 1717

Summary: There’s a mysterious spooky light, a mesmerized older brother, a worried Hoss who has heard some stories from Hop Sing that give him reason to worry, and a bad situation that Ben has to handle. 
rating: T  word count: 2185

Summary: Adam talks Ben into making a trade with Chief Winnemucca. The trade isn’t your average deal, the Chief has a redheaded white girl and he wants a few head of cattle for her. Adam takes full responsibility for the girl and soon finds out he might have gotten himself in deeper than he expected.

Rating: T

Word Count: 21,487
Part of Romancing the Ponderosa Series, links to the stories included within.

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

Summary: Joe’s antics and quick temper get the better of him in this fun little story based on an exchange in “Love Me Not.” Featuring a mischievous Joe, a tired Hoss, and a crafty Adam. A WHIB for Love Me Not.
Rating: G Word Count: 979

Summary: A WHIB for the Lady From Baltimore, it’s the story of the night after Joe confronts Adam and the next day when the Bannings leave the Ponderosa. The story is told completely from Joe’s POV and in his voice.
rating: T  word count: 1,655

Summary: Little Joe’s misadventures continue when he once again finds himself face to face with an old nemesis. This story is a continuation of “The Misadventures of Little Joe Cartwright ~ Book I” and includes many references to that story but can be read as a stand alone :0)

Rated: PG

Word Count : 34,602
Part of the Misadventure Series, links to all stories included within.

Summary: Adam meets a man by coincidence on several trips, but eventually, it is by design and leads to a new direction in his life.
Rating: T  Word count: 21,713

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 Word count: 5,153

A view from the riverbank, the one left behind. A poem of transition, resistance, and acceptance. Posted in recognition of World Poetry Day 2022.

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
Part of the Fight and Trouble Series, links to all stories included within

Summary: In 1873, the deaths of Hoss and Alice so close together left Ben and Joe physically and emotionally, bankrupt. Father and son masked their grief, each hiding serious health issues from the other. By a miracle, both men survived and in the aftermath, Dr. Paul Martin prescribed the whole truth and nothing but the truth as a remedy. In 1875, their pact is still intact…or is it? A sequel to “My Father’s Heartbeat.” It is helpful but not necessary to have read the first story.

Rated: T Word Count:  18,438
Part of the My Father’s Heartbeat Series, links to stories included within

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

Summary: An old storyteller tells tales of the family to Hoss and gives a refrain for each Cartwright and why they have it, and one story sets off an explosive change in the family.
rating: T  word count: 5,525

Summary: Hoss takes a stand with his father, but it takes a serious accident for Ben to fully accept what his son told him.
Rating: PG   Word count: 8,168

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

Summary: Ben runs into a lady friend from his past and the sparks fly again.

Rating:  T

Word Count: 15,453

A sequel to The Friendship, The Guilty, The Tall Stranger, The Crucible, and The Storm.  Jimmy Partridge. Margie Owens. Peter Kane. Laura White. Things were far from routine on the Ponderosa. His life – his family – was a shambles. That indefinable ‘thing’ that held them together, what made them ‘the’ Cartwrights, was lost.  Ben Cartwright despaired of ever getting it back.
Rated: PG-13 for brutality and Western style violence
Word count: 55,298

Summary: Joe’s thoughts as he rides after Billy Chapin. A missing scene from The Legacy.

Rating: K+

Word Count: 575

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

Summary: Joe gets himself in a bit of trouble involving a romance and a jealous husband, but Adam is implicated in it too.  The entire story is told by messages mostly between the family and Adam.  Some reading between the lines is necessary because these are men communicating in writing so not all will be said directly.
Rating: T   Word count: 2,856

Summary: After a period of adjustment with Adam’s return from school, life has settled nicely for the Cartwrights … until a new storm cloud seems to be threatening Hoss’ usually good mood and ability to work.
Rating: G

Word Count: 12553

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

Summary: Certain hurts never heal and some scars never truly fade. Adam is aware of this now, however, simply being aware doesn’t make moving forward any easier. Even a seemingly normal trip home with his brother blisters the scars that he thought were healing. A WHN for The Crucible.
Word Count: 1,949  Rating: G
Part of the Scars Series, links to all stories included within.

Summary: Little Joe meets a lady doctor who tends to an injured Adam.

Rating: K

Word Count: 3,441

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: A grateful Virginia City wants to both reward and exploit Little Joe’s valiant defense of the town, but Adam fears his young brother may be unable to handle his sudden newfound fame.  Written for BoNaNo 2021. Rating: K+ Word count: 13, 175