Ronas Stories

Rona is the redheaded half of the Giggly Sisters.

She lives in the Scottish Borders with her husband, two daughters, three hamsters and a rabbit, who all serve to fill the time she doesn’t spend writing.

Title: A Blank Space
Rated: PG 13
Summary: Joe is found badly beaten on the road. He doesn't know how he got there. Can the Cartwrights find out before tragedy strikes?

Title: A Different Kind of Vengeance
Rated: PG
Summary: After Hoss is bushwhacked and badly injured, Joe vows to find the men who did it, even though he was injured, too.

Title: A Delusion, A Mockery And a Snare
Rated: PG
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?

Title: A Fresh Start
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe is sought out by a woman who wants him to help her husband. But when Joe discovers who the woman's husband is, he wants nothing to do with him. Will he take no for an answer? This story is best read after Only Skin Deep, Toil and Trouble and Wolf in the Fold.

Title: A Long Shadow
Rated: PG
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?

Title: Another Mountain To Climb
Rated: PG
Summary: A WHN for Between Heaven and Earth.

Title: Areas of Expertise
Rated: PG
Summary: A terrible accident teaches the Cartwrights that each of them have their own areas of expertise.

Title: A Sacrifice of Love
Rated: PG 13
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.

Title: A Stranger Passed This Way
Rated: G
Summary: Epilogue. What happened when the Cartwrights went back into the house at the end of the episode.

Title: A Time To Step Down
Rated: PG
Summary: An alternative ending to the episode. Could Ben forgive Dan so easily?

Title: A Winters Tale
Rated: G
Summary: Caught in a storm together, Adam and Joe reminisce

Title: A Woman Scorned
Rated: PG
Summary: A face from the past comes back to haunt Adam.

Title: Affinity
Rated: PG
Summary: Sent to help at a neighbour’s ranch for a couple of weeks, Joe and Danny run into prejudice that leads to tragedy.

Title: Against His Will
Rated: PG
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?

Title: Alone
Rated: G
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.

Title: Amidst the Winter Snow
Rated: PG-13
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?

Title: An Eye For An Eye
Rated: PG
Summary: WHN for The Quest
Joe has completed his contract for the Sun Mountain Mining Company, but Povey, his rival, has disappeared.

Title: At All Costs
Rated: PG
Summary: A sequel to Power of Love. On a business trip to Sacramento, Joe encounters Bethany again. Will he survive this time?

Title: Beauty is the Lover’s Gift
Rated: R
Summary: When Joe falls sick with a fever after Julia Bulette’s death, Ben remembers his relationship with Julia.

Title: Behind the Picture
Rated: PG
Summary: Nasty rumours cause trouble and anguish for the Cartwrights. Can Ben, Joe and Hoss save Adam from a lynch mob?

Title: Believe In Me
Rated: G
Summary: Accused of murder, and found to be innocent, Joe discovers that rumours are difficult to quash.

Title: Better Left Unsaid
Rated: PG 13
Summary: When Ben is not feeling well, he decides to tell only Adam. But Joe senses something is wrong, and he ends up fighting with Adam. Unable to face going home, he runs into trouble.

Title: Blame
Rated: PG
Summary: An inexplicable attack upon Adam and Joe leaves Joe grappling with fear and blaming himself. Joe sets out to hunt down their attacker, but will he live to tell the tale?

Title: Blind Man’s Bluf
Rated: PG
Summary: Returning from a trip with Adam, Joe has an unfortunate accident. Things are then complicated when Joe is kidnapped.

Title: Brothers
Rated: PG
Summary: While searching for a missing ranch hand in the snow, Joe and Adam learn what it really means to have a brother to rely on.

Title: By The Lake
Rated: G
Summary: The aftermath of an argument sees Joe and Adam trying to mend fences.

Title: Chains And Slavery
Rated: PG
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.

Title: Christmas Surprise
Rated: G
Summary: Written originally for Bonanza Gold, here is a little tale of a surprise at Christmas, funnily enough!

Title: Clay
Rated: PG 13
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?

Title: Coming Home For Christmas
Rated: PG
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?

Title: Days of our Glory
Rated: PG
Summary: Lessons are learned about change and youth and how neither are necessarily a bad thing.

Title: Deeds Of The Past
Rated: PG
Summary: What exactly did Marie have to endure in the years before she met and married Ben Cartwright?

Title: Dedimus Tot Pignora Fatis (Hostages to the Fates)
Rated: PG
Summary: A tense situation at the Ponderosa leads Ben to see his sons as hostages to the fates.

Title: Desperate Times
Rated: PG
Summary: Disaster lies ahead when the hunters become the hunted.

Title: Doing What Had To Be Done
Rated: G
Summary: A fall from a horse leaves Joe laid up. When disaster strikes, can he do as he was told and just watch from the sidelines?

Title: Entertaining Angels
Rated: G
Summary: Just days before Christmas, the Cartwrights have guests.

Title: Envy and Revenge
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe travels to San Francisco. He is dreading seeing Edward again, but nothing turns out quite the way he expects.

Title: Envy, Hatred and Malice
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe’s friend Georgia is now a famous singing star. But her return home throws up problems for Joe.

Title: Ex Corde Caritas
Rated: PG
Summary: WHN for My Brother's Keeper
Despite Joe's recovery from the accident, Adam feels guilty. can he resist the lure of the east?

Title: Faith To Believe
Rated: PG
Summary: The sequel to Believe in Me. Will the Cartwrights find Joe? Where did he go when he left the Ponderosa?

Title: Fear
Rated: PG
Summary: Arriving home, Joe is astonished when Adam pulls a gun on him, claiming not to know him. Things go from bad to worse; until the breach between brothers seems so wide it cannot be breached.

Title: Flames
Rated: PG
Summary: A gang of rustlers is plaguing the Virginia City area.

Title: For the Love of a Horse
Rated: PG
Summary: The sequel to The Mustang. Joe encounters Satan again, and then finds his life depends on the unpredictable stallion.

Title: Found Love
Rated: PG
Summary: Love comes to one of the Cartwrights.

Title: Friends Indeed
Rated: PG
Summary: You read the drabble, now read the whole story.

Title: From Ghoulies and Ghosties
Rated: PG13
Summary: Something Adam says while he's telling ghost stories to Joe and Hoss triggers an amazing experience for Joe. Was it real? Or did he dream it? Anything's possible at Halloween.

Title: Gideon The Good
Rated: PG
Summary: A WHIB/WHN for the episode. The introduction of a mowing machine causes problems for the Cartwrights.

Title: God So Loved The World
Rated: PG
Summary: The true meaning of Easter is shown to the Cartwrights after Joe and Adam go missing.

Title: Gold Rush
Rated: PG
Summary: Rumours of a new gold strike on the Ponderosa bring problems for the Cartwrights. But who started the rumours, and why? Can Ben find out before Joe pays with his life?

Title: Good Samaritan
Rated: PG
Summary: Finding someone camping on the Ponderosa leads to a traumatic ordeal for Joe and Adam.

Title: Grief
Rated: G
Summary: A short piece reflecting on life after Hoss died.

Title: Growing Up
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe has grown away from a group of friends, who resent this, and set out to make his life a misery. But when Ben gets injured, can Joe save him?

Title: Guilty
Rated: PG
Summary: Accused of a crime he didn't commit, Joe finds himself facing the ultimate punishment while his brothers race against time to bring the witness who can clear Joe's name.

Title: Hate and Fear
Rated: PG13
Summary: A local man marries an Indian girl, and stirs up a racial backlash, which encompasses the Cartwrights, who offer friendship.

Title: His Prey
Rated: PG
Summary: A WHN for the episode The Hunter. What did happen to Joe after those closing credits rolled?

Title: Homecoming
Rated: G
Summary: After many years, Adam returns home. How will his return affect him and his family? This is set roughly about season 12 of the show.

Title: How Do I Love You
Rated: PG
Summary: The sequel to ‘When Love and Hate Collide’. Leigh decides to reclaim Joe as her own.

Title: In Loving Memory
Rated: G
Summary: The Cartwrights reflect on the impact Marie had on their lives.

Title: In Sickness and In Health
Rated: PG – for strong emotions, but no violence.
Summary: As the best man at his friends’ wedding, Joe is unable to foresee the tragedy ahead.

Title: In Silence and Tears
Rated: G
Summary: Joe’s depression after Clay leaves is worrying the whole family. What can they do to help him recover?

Title: Interlude
Rated: G
Summary: A short story that is set between scenes at the end of The Far Far Better Thing

Title: Into The Darkness
Rated: G
Summary: When a stranger arrives in town with a business proposition for Ben, he won't take no for an answer

Title: Into the Present
Rated: PG
Summary: A WHN for The Gift
Ever wondered what happened after Ben found Joe in the desert? well, here's my idea of what happened next.

Title: Jennie
Rated: G
Summary: A mysterious young woman rescues Joe from the Truckee River. But who is she really?

Title: Jock
Rated: PG
Summary: This is the story of the mysterious Jock, the ranch hand mentioned in The Witches Coven and Witch Hunt.

Title: Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
Rated: PG
Summary: Ever been accused of jumping to the wrong conclusion?.

Title: Last Chance
Rated: PG
Summary: WHN to Second Chance
Was it that simple to ride away from the stage station at the end of Second Chance? Read on to find out.

Title: Learning a Lesson
Rated: PG
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.

Title: Learning Curve
Rated: PG
Summary: A small band of Indians are raiding ranches and homesteads, but are surprisingly inept. Joe stumbles on their secret.

Title: Leaving
Rated: PG
Summary: Adam has decided to leave the ranch, a decision that has consequences for them all.

Title: Little Boy Lost
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe and Adam are held hostage on the ranch. But something doesn't add up. Who is behind it, and can they escape before one or other of them is killed?

Title: Loss Of Innocence
Rated: R (Contains sex scenes)
Summary: After an accident, Joe loses his memory. While the family frantically hunts for him, Joe thinks he has found his home, but all is not as it seems.

Title: Love Story
Rated: PG
Summary: Identical twin girls arrive in Virginia City. Joe falls in love with one of them, but her past is fast catching up.

Title: Malice
Rated: PG
Summary: Two characters from Adam's past return to the city and they have only one thing on their mind. Paying the Cartwright's back for what happened years ago.

Title: Measure Of A Man
Rated: PG
Summary: How do you measure a man?

Title: Milestones
Rated: PG
Summary: Life never quite takes us where we think.

Title: Mind Games
Rated: PG
Summary: On the way home from Placerville, Joe and Ben are held up. Ben is kidnapped. When Adam and Hoss get the ransom demand, they assume Joe is with their father. But is he?

Title: Mistaken Identity
Rated: PG
Summary: Helping a friend of Joe’s almost costs the Cartwrights more than they are willing to pay.

Title: Moving On
Rated: PG
Summary: A What Happened In Between for the episode A Time To Step Down. This is what I think happened between Joe and Dan leaving the cave and the final scene.

Title: My Kingdom For A Horse
Rated: PG
Summary: Set shortly after 'Behind the Picture'. Joe is determined to own the bay stallion. Is he willing to pay the price to do so?

Title: Never A Harsh Word
Rated: PG
Summary: An argument with Hoss spills over to encompass Adam, and is Joe deeply hurt. When tragedy strikes, the brothers rue the harsh words they exchanged. And just when it seems things can't get any worse, they do.

Title: No Way Out
Rated: PG
Summary: What starts out as an ordinary day in town soon takes an unexpected turn.

Title: Obeying Orders
Rated: PG
Summary: Being asked to scout for the army leads to a terrifying ordeal for Joe

Title: Only Skin Deep
Rated: PG
Summary: When a chance thief breaks into the Ponderosa, Joe finds himself at the mercy of a killer who looks only too familiar.

Title: Payback Time
Rated: PG
Summary: Teenage boys resembling Joe are going missing in Virginia City. When Joe, too, vanishes, Adam defies his father to save Joe. But will either of them survive?

Title: Pitfalls
Rated: PG
Summary: WHN for the episode The Trap. What did Joe and Booth say to each other in that tantalising missing scene. And what happened after that?

Title: Power Of Love
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe's lack of interest in a new girl in town sparks a barrage of intimidation and tragedy.

Title: Progress?
Rated: PG
Summary: The introduction of a mowing machine causes problems for the Cartwrights.

Title:   Protective Custody
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe witnesses a bank robbery, but he is treated more like a suspect than a witness. Can Adam and Hoss get to the bottom of what is going on before it costs Joe his life?Title:   Protective Urges
Rated:   PG
Summary: A series of mishaps and an illness show the Cartwrights that it’s not just Ben who has protective urges.

Title: Shanklin
Rated: PG
Summary: Resolution form Despair - A WHN for the episode Shanklin, tying up some of those loose ends.

Title: Shotgun Wedding
Rated: PG-13
Summary: A hold-up of the stage he is on leads Joe to an encounter with an old nemesis. What does the future hold for the family now? This is a sequel to ‘To Love Again’, although it’s not necessary to have read that one before reading this one.

Title: Silence in the Storm
Rated: G
Summary: An accident brings new realisations to Joe and Adam

Title: Singled Out
Rated: PG
Summary: As the only witness willing to testify to a murder, Joe finds himself singled out.

Title: Sitting Wolf
Rated: PG
Summary: An army captain's ignorance leads to fear for the Cartwrights and an unexpected ending.

Title: Sold
Rated: R
Summary: Home alone, Joe is kidnapped, but then events take an unexpected turn. Will Joe survive until his family finds him?

Title: Stocking Up
Rated: PG
Summary: A trip to stock up for the winter takes an unexpected turn, leaving Joe and Hoss facing danger and possibly death.

Title: Stranger In Our Midst
Rated: PG
Title: The prequel to 'Payback Time'. A college friend of Adam's comes home with him. 12 year old Joe is jealous. Or is he?

Title: Stranger Things
Rated: PG
Title: Returning home from Placerville, Joe is attacked and left to die.?

Title: Sunshine And Shadows
Rated: PG
Summary: A WHN for Shining In Spain. Joe is pining for Wendy, so Ben finds a reason to send him to San Francisco. But things don't go exactly as Joe planned.

Title: Susie
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe has fallen for a pretty new saloon girl. Is she just a tart with a heart, or is there more to Susie than this?

Title: Suspicion
Rated: PG
Summary: Adam's cousin appears out of the blue for a family visit. He and Joe don't take to one another at all. Is Joe right to be so suspicious?

Title: Taken
Rated: PG
Summary: After winning the rodeo, Joe is approached by a stranger about a job. He refuses, then disappears. Can the Cartwrights find Joe, when the stranger seems to be innocent?

Title: Tangled Loyalties
Rated: PG
Summary: Helping out at a friend's horse ranch, Joe becomes entangled in a nasty rivalry, which could cost him his life.

Title: Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy
Rated: PG
Summary: Tragedy is compounded by heartbreak for the Cartwrights.

Title: Testament Of Friendship
Rated: G
Summary: A WHN for False Witness. For all those fans who felt deprived of a JPM.

Title: That Was The Week...
Rated: G
Summary: A week of hilarious mishaps is recounted for Candy's benefit. But there is one thing he can't believe...

Title: The 12 Days of Christmas
Rated: G
Summary: A non-serious look at the song as it might apply to the Cartwrights.

Title: The Balance Of His Mind
Rated: PG
Summary: Ben encounters a bank robber and the subsequent shoot-out leads to a trail of tragedy and terror for the Cartwrights.

Title: The Breaking Game
Rated: PG
Summary: An accident leads to self-doubt for Joe, until a potential disaster restores his faith in himself.

Title: The Christmas Payroll
Rated: PG-13
Summary: Collecting the Christmas payroll is such an ordinary chore, that the Cartwrights can hardly believe when things go so wrong.

Title: The Church Social
Rated: G
Summary: A church social brings tragedy to Virginia City and the Ponderosa.

Title: The Course of True Love
Rated: PG
Summary: A beautiful and very young widow comes to town and Joe falls for her. Is he destined for a happy ending this time?

Title: The Deadliest Sins
Rated: PG-17, due to graphic descriptions
Summary: Alone on the ranch while his family is on a cattle drive, Joe is kidnapped by a jealous hand. When the man dies, an injured Joe is forced to try and get back home alone.

Title: The Deadly Ones
Rated: PG
Summary: Based on the episode, this is the story we didn't see.

Title: The Final Sacrifice
Rated: PG
Summary: An outbreak of measles set in motion a series of heart-breaking problems for the Cartwrights.

Title: The First Duty
Rated: PG
Summary: A chance meeting with an army officer sends Joe on a desperate mission to help save a soldier’s life.

Title: The Fourth Son
Rated: G
Summary: Jamie is worried about meeting Adam for the first time. He thinks they are getting along well, but how wrong can he be? Originally written for Bonanza Gold, and expanded after it was rejected.

Title: The Godfather
Rated: PG
Summary: The sequel to 'Susie'. Susie is married and asks Joe to be her baby's godfather. When Susie's husband is attacked, Joe is blamed.

Title: The Hotel
Rated: PG
Summary: A new hotel intrigues Hoss but doesn’t interest Joe initially.

Title: The Journey
Rated: PG
Summary: An accident forces Joe to embark upon a journey he had never expected to take.

Title: The Line Shack Trip
Rated: PG
Summary: Based on a drabble by Lillian, here is my idea of why they were at that line shack!

Title: The Medicine Hat Horse
Rated: PG
Summary: Despite the reservations of some members of the family, Joe breeds his bad-tempered mare to his famous wild stallion, Satan. The result is something none of them could have foreseen.

Title: The Mustang
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe sets his heart on capturing a skewbald stallion, and breaking him. Will giving his heart so recklessly to the horse cause it to break instead?

Title: The Night Before Christmas
Rated: G
Summary: Here's the Christmas story. It’s short, but fun.

Title: The Rattlesnake Brigade
Rated: G
Summary: The alternative version of the episode.

Title: The Rustlers
Rated: PG
Summary: The Ponderosa is being plagued by rustlers, who seem to know everything about where the herd will be next. Who is giving them the information?

Title: The Sixth Candle
Rated: PG
Summary: A WHN for Five Candles.

Title: The Smoke in the Sky
Rated: PG 13
Summary: Joe meets and falls in love with a young woman with a secret in her past. Their romance is overshadowed by the forest fire, which threatens to bring tragedy to everyone.

Title: The Sound Of Silence
Rated: PG
Summary: How did Joe actually cope without a voice? This is set during my story 'Guilty'. It would be advisable to read it first.

Title: The Stand-off
Rated: PG
Summary: After receiving a surprise invitation to the governor’s inaugural ball, Ben soon discovers that he has more to fear than just the governor’s intentions.

Title: The Stuff of Nightmares
Rated: PG
Summary: After a quarrel, Adam and Joe are sent off separately to do chores. But they become embroiled in a situation which sets brother against brother, and makes each one doubt if the other still loves him.

Title: The Timber Contract
Rated: PG
Summary: An everyday business venture takes an unexpected turn for Ben Cartwright.

Title: The Witches Coven
Rated: G
Summary: Joe is invited to a birthday party on Hallowe'en. Spooky goings-on culminate in near tragedy.

Title: The Witches Coven – the Full Story
Rated: G
Summary: Joe is invited to a birthday party on Hallowe'en. Spooky goings-on culminate in near tragedy.

Title: The Worst That Could Happen
Rated: PG
Summary: On his return home, Adam finds Joe’s life in danger. But is everything as it seems? This story has a sort of Halloween connection, but isn’t spooky.

Title: To Be A Cartwright
Rated: PG
Summary: Someone claiming to be Ben's nephew is running up big bills. But just who is he?

Title: To Love Again
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe meets a woman in town, but Ben falls in love with her. The family are delighted - or are they?

Title: Toil and Trouble
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe becomes the victim of a series of attempts on his life. Why does everyone insist they have seen Adam around, when he is visiting a friend back east? This is a sequel to ‘Only Skin Deep’.

Title: Too Much Love Will Kill You
Rated: PG
Summary: An unknown marksman targets Joe's family and friends. Who is behind all these attacks? And will Joe survive finding out the killer's identity?

Title: To Sit In Darkness
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe and Hoss embark on a journey of discovery together.

Title: To Steal A Son
Rated: PG
Summary: A chance meeting with someone Ben once knew brings problems to the Ponderosa.

Title: Trapped
Rated: PG
Summary: Hunting for strays ought to be easy. Ben fears the worst when disaster strikes Joe and Adam.

Title: Triumph Over Adversity
Rated: PG
Summary: Ben buys a mine from a friend, but trouble seems to dog it. The worst happens when the mine collapses - with all three sons inside.

Title: Trust
Rated: G
Summary: Visiting a friend in jail has consequences that Joe doesn’t expect.

Title: Tug of Love
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe and Adam clash over a girl. However, they both find that blood is thicker than water when the girl kidnaps Joe.

Title: Unwilling Accomplice
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe walks into a bank robbery and is taken hostage. To his horror, he is forced to go along on other robberies.

Title: Vigilantes
Rated: PG
Summary: Taking the law into your own hands is never the answer, as the Cartwrights discover.

Title: Wagon Train to Hell
Rated: PG
Summary: After a disaster in a nearby township, Joe goes along on a mercy mission. However, nothing goes quite as smoothly as he expected.

Title: Waterfall
Rated: NC17
Summary: It’s a hot day and the boys decide to cool off. Short but sweet.

Title: Waterlogged
Rated: G
Summary: Branding is a busy time on the Ponderosa. But the weather brings problems that couldn’t be foreseen.

Title: Whatever It Takes
Rated: PG
Summary: A ruthless mining baron takes on the might of the Ponderosa, prepared to do whatever it takes to get what he wants - including murdering the sons of Ben Cartwright.

Title: What Happened in Between - The Last Viking
Rated: PG
Summary: How did the Cartwrights get Joe home after he had been shot? If you ever wondered, read on.

Title: When Love and Hate Collide
Rated: PG
Summary: A woman looking to buy horses sees the start of a new romance for Joe.

Title: WHN - Showdown
Rated: PG13
Summary: What would have happened if Pardoe wasn't really dead?

Title: WHN Last Haircut - Barbarous Revenge
Rated: PG
Summary: A WHN for the episode The Last Haircut. Did Joe and Paco reach Mexico unhindered?

Title: Witch Hunt
Rated: PG
Summary: A sequel to The Witches Coven. Ben returns home with bad news for the family, but Joe in particular. Patty is once more at large.

Title: With this Ring
Rated: PG
Summary: The sale of a couple of horses leads to a frightening ordeal for Joe.

Title: Wolf in the Fold
Rated: PG
Summary: Joe’s nemesis returns. Will he survive this encounter?

Title: Worth Fighting For
Rated: PG
Summary: After falling out, Adam and Joe discover what is worth fighting for.

Title: Wrapped In Wild Snow
Rated: PG
Summary: Going to try and rescue a neighbour, the Cartwrights find themselves to be the ones in need of rescue. Can the courage of one of them save the others?.