Chapter 10: Teddy – A New Routine Begins
⚠️ Spoiler Notice
This page contains spoilers for Chapter 11 (Chapter 10: Teddy) of Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage. Read on only if you have finished this chapter.
Summary
Teddy calls Emmy from Gus’s kitchen after a slow morning with Riley. She reports that the house looks much better than its previous disaster state. Emmy urges her to be kinder to Gus. Riley, dressed in a princess dress and cowboy boots, shows Teddy her guest room, which Gus has prepared with crisp sheets and wildflowers. Teddy unpacks, washes Riley’s clothes, and spends the afternoon playing with the girl. When Gus returns home late, they exchange guarded banter; Teddy thanks him for the room, and he offers to cook grilled chicken. She jokingly warns him not to poison her.
Key Events
- Teddy speaks with Emmy on the phone while doing dishes; the house is tidy, surprising her.
- Riley leads Teddy to the guest room, noting it used to be hers.
- Teddy unpacks, does a load of Riley’s laundry, and enjoys a low‑key day with Riley.
- Gus comes home after 6 p.m.; Teddy watches Riley run to greet him.
- Gus removes his chaps and pearl‑snap shirt, revealing a tight T‑shirt.
- Teddy thanks Gus for preparing the room; he teases her about eating contest entries.
- Gus offers to make grilled chicken; Teddy agrees after a brief back‑and‑forth.
Character Development
Teddy shows her caring side through her interactions with Riley—playing Guess Who, making sandwiches, doing laundry. Her internal monologue reveals a grudging admiration for Gus’s domesticity (“the thought of Gus having to make this bed … made me smile”). She also admits she avoids saying “thank you” to him, hinting at the walls she keeps up.
Gus is portrayed as orderly (label maker, crisp sheets) yet caring; he prepped the guest room with wildflowers. His willingness to cook for Teddy suggests he is trying to bridge the gap between them, even as he ribs her about the eating contest.
Riley continues to be a warm, trusting presence, immediately accepting Teddy and carrying out her promise to “take care” of her.
Emmy (off‑page) serves as a voice of reason, urging Teddy to drop the constant sniping.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Order vs. Chaos – Gus’s label maker, organized laundry piles, and perfectly folded blankets contrast with Teddy’s more relaxed (and Emmy’s chaotic) approach. Teddy threatens to break the label maker, but the chapter ultimately shows a blending of their styles.
Domesticity as Care – Gus’s breakfast, the prepared guest room, and Teddy doing Riley’s laundry all demonstrate how small domestic acts become expressions of love and responsibility.
Family Beyond Blood – Teddy’s worry about her father (off‑page) and her immersion into the Ryder household highlight chosen family. Riley calls Emmy “Auntie,” and Teddy is welcomed as a temporary maternal figure.
The Princess/Cowgirl Outfit – Riley’s princess dress paired with cowboy boots symbolizes the fusion of fantasy and ranch life, a motif that echoes Teddy and Gus’s own contradictions.
Why This Chapter Matters
This is the first chapter from Teddy’s point of view (the previous chapter was Gus’s). It solidifies her as a narrator and deepens her characterization beyond the “sniping” rival. By placing her inside Gus’s home, the chapter forces a shift in their dynamic: she sees his vulnerability (the messy house he cleaned for her) and his efforts to make her comfortable. The domestic setting—laundry, meals, bedtime routines—lays the groundwork for genuine intimacy. The chapter also reinforces the theme that caring for others can be expressed through simple, daily actions, not grand gestures.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does Teddy’s attitude toward Gus change over the course of this chapter?
Teddy begins with her usual teasing (“I stored the possibility of Gus’s death by missing label maker away for later”) but slowly softens. She notices the wildflowers and crisp sheets he prepared, admits the smile at the thought of him making the bed, and finally says “thank you” to Gus—something she admits she only does for him rarely. Her jibe about poison is still playful, but the tenor is warmer than earlier chapters.
2. What does the detail of the label maker reveal about Gus’s character?
The label maker shows Gus’s need for order and control, which contrasts with Teddy’s more spontaneous nature. Teddy’s joke about breaking it underscores the friction between their personalities, but the fact that Gus uses it also hints that his rigidity might be a coping mechanism, possibly linked to single fatherhood or past experiences. The chapter suggests that his clean‑freak tendencies, while extreme, come from a place of care rather than coldness.
3. Why does Riley’s princess‑and‑cowboy‑boots outfit matter symbolically?
The outfit fuses two sides of Riley’s world: fairy‑tale fantasy (princess dress) and the rugged ranch life (cowboy boots). It mirrors the chapter’s central tension between order (Gus) and freedom (Teddy), and between the ordinary (laundry, lunch) and the magical (Riley’s delight, the wildflowers). It also signals that Riley is adapting to Teddy’s presence, embracing both her dad’s world and the new energy Teddy brings.