Summary: Christmas on the Ponderosa is, more or less, always the same. Yet this year, there's a certain moment of unpredictability: there's a visitor staying over the holidays who could jeopardise it all...or make it extra special. And maybe she even knows a better present for Adam than yet another book.... Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western … Continue reading The Art of Giving (by faust) →

Summary: After a long day out in the rain, Adam longs for more than a hot drink and a hearty meal, and he knows where he'll find it. Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western Rated:  G Word Count:  4300 This story was inspired by the wonderful poem of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Day Is Done, all of … Continue reading The Art of Belonging (by faust) →

Summary: It might look like everyday business, but it's more, much more. Ben makes some quite interesting observations, and Juliet learns something, too.  Originally written for the Weekly Seedlings Challenge for the prompt "Show Off". Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western Rated: G Word Count:  2400     Of course, they were all showing off. They were … Continue reading The Art of Bronco Busting (by faust) →

Summary: Three times it didn't matter that he loved her, and the one time it did. Revised version of a Pinecone entry (the first line was given to be expanded into a story.)  This is the ninth story in the "Art" universe. Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western Rated:  G Word Count:  630     In the … Continue reading What Matters (by faust) →

Summary: Five women, five flowers, each of them holding a special meaning.  The eighth story in the "Art" Universe. Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western Rated: G Word Count:  1000   The first flowers were for Inger. Tiny blue prairie flowers, that probably only blossomed in Kentucky. Adam had spent hours plucking them, and when he presented … Continue reading Flowers (by faust) →

Summary: Adam tries to serenade The One -- if she'd only let him.  The seventh story in the "Art" universe. Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western Rated:  G Word Count:  1200 Juliet slung her warm blue shawl round her shoulders. After an exceptionally blazing hot autumn day the evening had brought a cold breeze, and Adam and … Continue reading The Art of Serenading (by faust) →

Summary: Clementine Hawkins’ story – how an English artist came to settle down in Virginia City. And what is it with her and Ben Cartwright?  Number six in the "Art" universe, but definitely a stand alone. Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western Rated:  PG Word Count: 1800 words Virginia City, May 1850 Clementine Hawkins sat down on … Continue reading Home Sweet Home or The Art of Settling Down (by faust) →

Summary: Prequel set in Adam's college years in Boston. A formal ball, a friendly social, a red dress, a flamingo, and the sea, the sea! The beginning of Adam's complicated love life, and, somewhere beyond the sea, someone's first tentative steps into becoming The Queen. Can be read by itself, yet it is the fifth … Continue reading Somewhere Beyond the Sea or The Art of the Impossible (by faust) →

Summary: An American in England, lukewarm beer, and haunting experiences. Is it possible to adjust with people who insist you're from "the colonies?" This is the fourth story in the "Art" universe and a Halloween story. Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western Rated:  G Word Count:  3000 Pluckley, Kent, autumn 1861.  Langford Poole nursed his first beer … Continue reading A Warm Welcome (by faust) →

Summary: Both Adam Cartwright and Juliet Heatherstone encounter someone from their past, with grievous impact on their lives. Where will they set their Priorities? Life or honour? Safety of a once-in-a-lifetime offer or perchance to dream of even more?  The third story in the "Art" universe. Category:  Bonanza Genre:  Western Rated:  PG Word Count:   58,250 … Continue reading The Art of Setting Priorities (by faust) →