50 pages • 1 hour read
Lyla SageLost and Lassoed
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 33-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 33 Summary: “Teddy”
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content and death.
Teddy likes to paint on the back of the garage when she feels anxious, so she goes to work while trying to process her feelings for Gus. Emmy finds her painting and is shocked to see that she has a hickey on her neck. Teddy decides to tell her the truth and reveals that she and Gus are together. Emmy says that she needs a minute to process but at first gags at the idea of them having sex. Emmy wonders where Teddy thinks the relationship can go after the summer ends, especially since Teddy’s never had a serious relationship. She reminds Teddy that Gus is shouldering a lot, and she worries about what might happen to her relationship with her brother and Teddy if they break up. Emmy’s words hurt Teddy’s feelings, as she feels that her best friend can’t see that she shoulders a lot of responsibility, too, and that she and Gus are good for each other. Teddy gets honest with Emmy about her feelings about how their friendship has changed since Emmy and Brooks got engaged. She wishes that Emmy could be happy for her and see that she takes a relationship with Gus seriously. Emmy can tell that she’s hurt Teddy, but it’s too late, and she walks away.
Chapter 34 Summary: “Gus”
Teddy calls Gus and tells him about Emmy’s reaction to learning that they’re together. On the one hand, Gus is happy that Teddy feels comfortable telling her best friend about him. Yet he and his brothers have been protective of their little sister ever since their mother died, so he’s sensitive to Emmy feeling hurt. Gus assures Teddy that all will be well, and she feels better having talked it through with him.
Riley goes camping with Amos, and Gus goes to the Devil’s Boot for the debut of Brooks’s mechanical bull that he’s named “Sue.” Teddy dresses in a slinky silver top and matching chaps, driving Gus wild. They flirt, and all their friends notice. Teddy is first to ride the bull, and she stays on for the full eight seconds, to the crowd’s delight. Gus pushes through a throng of admirers, kisses her in front of everyone, and asks her to come home with him. Gus leads her out to his truck, and they kiss passionately. Teddy says, “Take me home” (253), which Gus is happy to do.
Chapter 35 Summary: “Teddy”
On the way to Gus’s house, Teddy senses that something has shifted now that the entire town knows they’re together. They have sex on the kitchen counter, and afterward, Gus says that he never wants to let her go.
Chapter 36 Summary: “Teddy”
The next day, Teddy looks at the embroidery project she’s using to document her and Riley’s wildflower hunt. She has an idea for her next project and can’t wait to tell Gus. She also longs to tell Emmy and hopes they can repair their friendship. Teddy picks up Riley from Amos’s, and they search for wildflowers on the way home. Riley asks to run, and Teddy thinks about how much she loves spending time with Riley. She dreads how much she will miss living with Riley and Gus.
Chapter 37 Summary: “Gus”
The day arrives for Cam’s return, and Teddy and Riley thumb through the guidebook, looking at the dried flowers they’ve collected all summer. The only one they didn’t find was rock jasmine. Though Gus asks her to stay for dinner, Teddy says that she wants to leave and spend the evening with her father. Gus doesn’t want her to go, but he doesn’t know how to tell her. He can tell that she wants to stay.
Cam arrives, and Riley is elated to see her mother. Cam asks where Teddy is, and when Gus says she’s gone, Cam can tell that something is wrong. She asks Riley to play in her room while she talks to Gus. Cam explains that she hasn’t allowed Graham to spend much time with Riley because she is protective of her and only wants Riley to be parented by her and Gus. She knows that Gus is in love with Teddy and adds, “I think Teddy would make a hell of a bonus parent, and it would be an honor to add her to our team” (270). Gus promises Cam that he won’t let Teddy get away and adds that Cam shouldn’t get married if she’s not in love. Gus has tried to show Teddy that he cares for her, but he knows he needs to tell her.
Chapter 38 Summary: “Gus”
Gus senses a distance between him and Teddy, but he wants to give her space to figure some things out. He wants her to have a successful life and career, and he wants that to be with him and Riley, but only if Teddy wants it, too. Amos asks Gus to go with him to check on the cattle at the ranch, which means a long ride on horseback. Amos reminds Gus that caring for the ranch is demanding but that he must fight for balance and can’t do it all alone. Amos wants the ranch to be a joy to Gus, not a burden, and he must work hard to remember what’s most important. Amos points Gus toward a path to a wildflower patch where rock jasmine grows, and Gus knows that he knows about Teddy. Gus asks for the rest of the day off, and Amos happily grants it, proudly telling Gus that he has more than earned it.
Chapter 39 Summary: “Teddy”
Teddy is painting behind the garage again, trying to plan her next move. She’s sure that she wants to be with Gus and Riley, but she is uncertain how it would work now that Cam is back. Teddy fears that “[they] wouldn’t be able to stand on [their] own. But first [Teddy] need[s] to feel like [she can] stand on [her] own” (278). Hank brings her lunch and looks at the landscape she’s painting. Though Teddy says she isn’t sure what it is, Hank knows. He says that he wants Teddy to know that he will be okay if she wants to move out, and he also says that he knows she’s in love with Gus. Teddy asks if she can convert the garage into a workspace to begin making and selling clothes again. Hank says that she can have whatever she wants if it makes her happy.
Emmy arrives, and Hank leaves them to speak privately. Emmy embraces Teddy in a hug and apologizes for her hurtful reaction. Though she was shocked at first to learn that Gus and Teddy are together, she wholeheartedly supports their relationship. Emmy wants Teddy to tell Gus about her feelings as soon as possible. She points to the painted landscape, the view from Gus’s porch—a final sign for Teddy about what she should do. Gus calls and tells her to get to the stables quickly.
Chapter 40 Summary: “Gus”
Gus meets Teddy at the stables with Riley, overcome with love when he sees how happy Riley is to be reunited with Teddy. They all mount on horseback, and he leads them to the north ridge. While they ride, Gus thinks about the risk he’s taking yet hopes that Teddy wants the same as him, to spend the rest of his life living together on Rebel Blue. Riley is so overcome with happiness when she sees the rock jasmine that she curses, which Gus finds hilarious because she learned it from him.
Chapter 41 Summary: “Teddy”
After the picnic in the meadow, Gus and Teddy return to his house and sit on the porch together. Teddy tells Gus about her and Emmy’s reconciliation. It’s chilly, and Gus goes inside and returns with Teddy’s suede jacket, which he had Cloma repair. He wants to take Teddy to Jackson to get her sewing machine repaired so that she can start her business. Gus tells Teddy that he doesn’t want their summer to end and instead wants it to be their “beginning.” He confesses his love and says that he wants to marry Teddy and have children with her. Teddy is moved to tears and at a loss for words, but she says that she loves Gus, too.
Epilogue Summary: “Gus”
Gus and Teddy ask Riley’s permission before getting engaged, and Riley is confused because she thought Teddy was already part of the family. It’s December, and Gus and Teddy are engaged and trying to get pregnant. Hank is doing well independently with Aggie’s help, and Teddy is renting a space to work on her designs. On the day of Cam’s wedding, Gus and Teddy arrive at the church, and Amos takes Gus to Cam’s dressing room. She’s crying because Graham has called off the wedding.
Chapter 33-Epilogue Analysis
In Lost and Lassoed, the third-act break-up—traditional in a classic romance structure—occurs not between Teddy and Gus but between Emmy and Teddy as they experience conflict in their friendship due to a lack of communication and misunderstanding. Teddy and Emmy’s friendship exemplifies the Evolution of Relationships in Adulthood and explores the boundaries between friendship and romantic relationships, particularly when those relationships intersect with family. Emmy feels blindsided by the revelation that Gus and Teddy are in love, believing that Teddy intentionally kept the relationship a secret. As Gus’s sister, Emmy has a strong sense of protectiveness over him due to his challenges as a single father. She worries that a romantic relationship between Teddy and Gus could complicate their family dynamic if things don’t work out. Emmy also fears losing her friendship with Teddy, interpreting Teddy’s secrecy as a sign that their friendship has weakened. This insecurity fuels her emotional response, making her words sharper and more hurtful.
Teddy’s defense of her relationship with Gus emphasizes the genuine connection they’ve built and her deep care for him and Riley. However, she struggles with guilt over not telling Emmy sooner, acknowledging that she hesitated because of the distance she perceives is growing between them. Teddy doesn’t understand why Emmy doesn’t trust her intentions. She emphasizes that her relationship with Gus doesn’t diminish her loyalty to Emmy or her commitment to doing what’s best for Riley. Sage resolves this conflict with a heartfelt conversation between Emmy and Teddy in which they express their fears and reaffirm their commitment to their friendship. Emmy trusts Teddy’s intentions and accepts the relationship, while Teddy acknowledges the importance of being transparent with the people she loves. This resolution strengthens their friendship, and realizing the importance of open communication helps Teddy see that she needs to express her feelings to Gus.
Sage signals the growth in Gus’s character arc when he reimagines his life with Teddy in it. He makes his first grand gesture at the Devil’s Boot when he publicly kisses Teddy, demonstrating a readiness to move beyond private interactions and make their relationship official—a significant moment given Gus’s reserved nature and initial reluctance to mix his personal and professional lives. His public acknowledgement of their relationship reinforces his transformation from a solitary, self-reliant man into someone who values connection and partnership.
Amos helps Gus redefine and expand his definition of responsibility to include care for his and Riley’s emotional needs, underscoring the novel’s thematic interest in Redemption Through Responsibility. At the beginning of his arc, Gus viewed emotional attention as a burden. He was emotionally withdrawn, believing that he couldn’t risk a sense of weakness by letting others get too close. Amos helps Gus reevaluate his priorities and shift his perspective to see that responsibility isn’t just a duty but an opportunity to grow and build meaningful connections and that being a father, partner, and ranch owner should bring joy, not isolation. Rather than viewing emotional responsibility as a burden, Gus learns to see it as an empowering force that gives his life meaning.
Taking Teddy and Riley to the wildflowers represents Gus’s desire to build a future with Teddy in a space that holds personal significance. Amos’s words inspire Gus’s second, more significant, grand gesture that symbolically occurs at the ranch, the place that represents so much of Gus’s character but is now a place tied to his and Teddy’s shared journey. For most of the story, the ranch symbolizes anxiety and existential pressure for Gus. The rock jasmine patch represents a new vision for his work and life with Teddy and Riley.
Sage centers Teddy’s personal growth on a holistic view of her life—one that integrates a romantic partnership with Gus, restarting her clothing design business, Finding a Sense of Belonging at Rebel Blue Ranch, and creating her own space to flourish in Meadowlark. The Epilogue employs a time jump to resolve and reinforce how Teddy and Gus have made their relationship work, including finding a way for Teddy to work on her designs. Cam’s wedding is a romantic moment where Teddy and Gus can look ahead to their own wedding even as they celebrate Cam. The cliffhanger ending transitions from Teddy and Gus’s romance to Cam’s story. Graham calling off the wedding opens the door for the fifth book in the series.
