Disclaimer: I don't own Bonanza. It probably would pay for my college bills if I did.

A/N: I started this story a couple weeks ago as a writing exercise over at the Bonanza1 bulletin board. Now, it's becoming a much larger story with an interesting plot. I don't know how often I'll update this, probably once a week or if I'm lucky, more than that. At the moment, it's just a side project to all the other things I'm working on. Anyways, here's the first chapter.

The Treasure of Sun Mountain

Chapter 1

Two emerald eyes stared at the dying embers of the fire that had been lit hours ago. She had traveled long and hard but somehow Anna had managed to get lost along the way. She didn't even know where she was anymore. It even surprised her that she had gotten this far away from her past without it bringing her back.

There were times on the trail when she had though about going back but there was nothing left anymore. Somehow Anna's memories had kept her believing that her family was still alive and her ranch was still there. It wasn't and somewhere in her mind she knew that. This lady just didn't want to believe it.

Lady. That was something she had only been called once. Unfortunately he hadn't know the truth about her. She couldn't be called a lady. She didn't even like the word to begin with. She was no lady and she had no intentions of ever becoming one. The female sex was known to some as the weaker of the two but no one had tried to tell her that. There was no weaker sex in her mind and as she sat there in a pair of dusty chaps and a gray beat up men's shirt, she knew that whatever anyone thought would never matter to her.

Adam sighed as Sport picked his way through the thick brush that stood between him and his home. It seemed to him that during the night, the trees got larger, grass got taller, brush got thicker and his home seemed much further than it really was.

He had been chasing strays all day and all he wanted was a good dinner and a hot cup of coffee before he climbed into bed for a good night's rest. Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him but he thought he could smell the rich aroma of coffee in the air. Maybe it was the fact that he wanted to taste that hot liquid or maybe it was because there was the smell of coffee in the air. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, Adam could swear he saw a dim light of a campfire not far away as well.

Urging Sport towards it, Adam was curious to know who would have camped themselves out on such a spot on the Ponderosa. It wasn't the best spot for anyone to spend the night as they passed through the vast land. There had been trespassers before on their property and most of them moved out before they ever caught sight of them. The Cartwrights didn't mind having people travel across their land as they went on their journeys to better land, just as long as they didn't decide that they had found their better land on the Ponderosa.

Slowing Sport down as they came upon the small camp site, Adam could hear the nickering of a horse in greeting to them. His own horse answered back as he noticed a lone figure sitting by the fire. It didn't seem to him that it would be much of an issue to tell them that they were trespassing.

Anna looked up as her horse, Dancer, said a cheerful hello to someone. Her pistol was out of its holster, not knowing if it was a friend or an enemy approaching her small encampment. Watching the black clad man approach on the dark chestnut horse in the moonlight, she studied him carefully. He didn't carry a bedroll on his saddle and seemed as if he was quite sure of what he was getting himself into. She considered that he must be the owner of the little piece of land she would be staying on for the night but she decided to still be wary. Anna began to trace the outline of the gun she had inherited as she hoped she wouldn't have to use it again.

"Good evening," Adam said as he pulled Sport to a stop by the campfire of the stranger.

The man's head was bent down low as he held the silver gun in his hands. It glistened in the moonlight and Adam became cautious on approaching him. He didn't want to get himself shot by some drifter passing through his family's land if he could help it. Adam figured he might as well make it seem as if he was friendly enough and in no rush to make the stranger move.

"Got any more coffee left?" he asked.

"Sure," the stranger said before looking up at him. "Help yourself."

Adam was a bit taken back when he realized that the traveler was a woman dressed in men's clothes. Her eyes had a fire that he had seen in his little brother's eyes as well. It was spunk, playfulness and a devious nature, which Adam had learned from experience to watch out for. Although she had veiled it as much as she could, he could also see a bit of fright there as well. From what he could gather, she couldn't have been much older than nineteen year old Little Joe. The woman might have been pretty but under the dark hat and dust filled clothes, he couldn't really tell. He just could see those eyes staring back at him as the fire's glow lit her face.

Adam suddenly realizing he was staring at her in surprise when she broke his gaze to gesture towards the cup by the fire. "Name's Anna," she told him. "Anna Reed."

"Adam Cartwright," he said as he grabbed the cup by the fire and poured himself a drink.

She nodded at him as she studied him carefully. "Nice to meet you."

Adam nodded in reply. "You know, you're trespassing on private property, Miss," he said gently, before taking a drink.

She tilted her head as she looked up at him. "Figured that. Won't be stayin' long. You the owner?"

He swallowed the burning liquid before replying. "My family is," he said, studying her response.

Anna relaxed a bit and holstered the gun that she had been shining with her fingers for the past minute or two. "Just give me a half an hour and I'll be off your land," she told him in reply.

Adam looked somewhat interested at that, "It would take you at least a couple hours to get off the Ponderosa from the way it looks like you're heading. Besides, if you look about as tired as your horse does, then you could use a good night's rest as well. The house is only about a half hour ride from here. I don't think my father would mind letting you stay for the night."

She shook her head. "Couldn't do that, sir. I wouldn't feel right not paying my way for your hospitality. 'Sides, I don't think your family would take too kindly to sharing their home with a stray like me."

"Well, why don't you come along, anyway? I could use the company after the day I've had. If they don't agree, I don't think they'd mine you sleepin' in the barn," Adam replied before finishing his cup of coffee.

"Well, I think I'd feel more comfortable there anyways. Been sleeping in barns and the hard ground for months now, sleeping in a soft bed doesn't seem really appealing to me anymore."

Adam Cartwright smirked a bit. "I understand," he told her. He felt the same way after a long cattle drive. It was hard for him to get use to sleeping in his soft bed again but he was glad to be back in it.

He wasn't sure of this woman. Anna Reed seemed like she could handle herself well but even if she might have been on her own for a while, he'd rather not find her dead, nor would he like any of his family to find her that way as well. He was glad when he saw her snuff out the dying embers with her boots and the gruff Ponderosa dirt.

"Well, Mister Cartwright, if you're sure about that, let me saddle my horse and we can be on our way," Anna told him as she covered the last of the dying fire with her toe. It seemed to her that this was the opportunity she was looking for and maybe now she might get a good night's rest for once.

Adam nodded to her. "I'm sure," he told her before she went to saddle her horse.

There was something about her that made him feel as if something wasn't right. It was just a feeling he got when he had met her. Bringing her to the ranch house seemed like the best idea at the time but now he was beginning to wonder what his father might think about it.