Lost and Lassoed

Lost and Lassoed is the third book in Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch series and the author’s first book to make it on the New York Times Best Seller list. Published in 2024, Lost and Lassoed is set in Wyoming on Rebel Blue Ranch, owned by the Ryder family. The story follows Gus Ryder, the eldest Ryder son, a devoted single father dedicated to raising his spirited daughter, Riley, and keeping the ranch’s legacy intact. When his sister’s best friend and lifelong enemy, Teddy, steps in as Riley’s caregiver, Gus’s carefully controlled world shifts. As the trio navigates life together for the summer, Gus and Teddy overcome their pasts and discover that love can thrive in the unlikeliest places. Lost and Lassoed follows Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled. The fourth book, Wild and Wrangled, will be published in 2025. Like the series, the novel highlights the beauty and struggle of ranching life coupled with swoony romance. Thematically, it addresses Redemption Through Responsibility, Finding a Sense of Belonging, and the Evolution of Relationships in Adulthood. The series’ familiar characters in each story create a rich tapestry of interconnected lives on the rugged landscapes of the modern-day West. 

This guide refers to the 2024 Dial Press e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of sexual content, death, illness, and substance use.

Plot Summary

Theodora “Teddy” Andersen has always considered Meadowlark, Wyoming, home, but when her best friend, Emmeline “Emmy” Ryder, gets engaged and she loses her job at a local boutique where she sold her original designs, she wonders if she still has a place in her small town. Teddy’s father, Hank, once worked on Rebel Blue Ranch for Amos Ryder, and Teddy spent much of her childhood roaming the ranch with Emmy and despising her older brother, August “Gus” Ryder. Though Gus is a devoted single father to his daughter, Riley, Teddy still can’t stand to be in the same room with him. While she’s helping Emmy’s fiancé, Brooks, remodel his bar—the Devil’s Boot—Gus and Teddy accidentally get locked in a closet together. Teddy rips her favorite jacket and blames Gus, but he realizes that being that close to Teddy feels different than it had in the past.

Gus co-parents Riley with her mother, Cam. When Cam needs to spend the summer in Jackson studying for the bar exam with her fiancé, Graham, Gus supports her by caring for Riley full-time. However, with his duties on the ranch, Gus quickly becomes overwhelmed and exhausted. Emmy suggests that he hire Teddy to help since she loves Riley and is currently unemployed. Gus refuses at first, but Amos steps in and demands that Gus accept the help or else he will remove Gus’s ranch duties for his mental health. Gus reluctantly asks Teddy to help with Riley’s care for the first half of the week, which will require her to cohabitate with Gus and Riley. At first, Teddy worries that it will be awkward and feels anxious about leaving Hank, whom she’s cared for since he began having health issues. Yet, once Teddy moves into Gus’s cozy ranch home and starts spending time with Riley, she feels a sense of peace and hominess in the comfort of Rebel Blue Ranch.

While Gus works, Teddy entertains Riley with arts and crafts, and they begin chronicling wildflowers they find on the ranch. Teddy and Gus spend time alone at night, and their views of each other begin to evolve. Teddy sees Gus as a loving father, while Gus learns that Teddy isn’t the wild girl who once got his sister arrested. Without the pressure of balancing his work and duties at home, Gus relaxes his grumpy, uptight façade, allowing him to connect with Teddy as they learn more about each other’s hopes and dreams. Gus is a devoted father and rancher but longs for a partner and more children. Though Teddy hasn’t thought much about settling down, being a part of Gus and Riley’s life makes her reconsider her view of getting into a serious relationship and becoming a parent. 

Living under the same roof also breeds tension, as Gus and Teddy sense their feelings toward one another shifting. When Gus kisses Teddy, everything changes. Neither of them can name what is happening, but both know that they can’t stop it. After the kiss, Gus becomes distant, worrying that he can’t balance his relationship with his other responsibilities. When Teddy confronts him about his coldness, the argument becomes heated and passionate, and they fall into Gus’s bed together.

Hank has a heart attack, and Gus rushes Teddy to the hospital to be with him. Seeing her sadness and exhaustion, Gus feels helpless about how to support her. He gives her time and space to be with Hank while he recovers, but Gus’s house now feels empty without Teddy. Riley makes Hank a card, and she draws a picture of Teddy and Gus holding hands. Hank recovers, and Teddy returns to work, but the end of the summer is on the horizon, and Teddy doesn’t know what her next move should be with her career or Gus. She reveals their relationship to Emmy, whose shocked reaction hurts Teddy and causes a breach in their friendship. Feeling exhausted and uncertain, Teddy turns to her art for comfort and paints a landscape on the back of the garage.

Brooks opens the Devil’s Boot, and Teddy is the first to ride the mechanical bull. After seeing her ride, Gus is overcome with desire for Teddy and takes her home. They have passionate sex, and he says that he never wants her to leave. Cam returns just as Riley and Teddy finish cataloging all the wildflowers save one, rock jasmine. Teddy returns home to her father, and Gus tries to focus on his work. Amos reminds him not to place too much weight on work and that having a life partner is essential for balance and emotional health. Amos shows Gus where a patch of rock jasmine is growing on the ranch. Cam tells Gus that Teddy would make a great co-parent and that he deserves happiness.

Hank encourages Teddy to explore the relationship with Gus and frees her to leave home if she wants. Emmy apologizes for her reaction and gives her blessing. Gus calls and summons Teddy to the ranch, where he takes her and Riley to find the rock jasmine, a sign of his love and devotion to both. He tells Teddy that he loves her and wants to get married and have children. After asking Riley’s permission, they purchase a vintage ring in Jackson and get engaged. Later, they attend Cam’s wedding, but Graham leaves her at the altar.