Part 4, Chapter 45 Summary

Tom has the rodeo schedule and is planning his comeback. Tom plans to use his summer pay to buy a car. Tom does not have a string of horses to get in shape with, but he counts on his skills and reflexes to carry him through. Tom has been walking to strengthen his legs and has not felt pain for several weeks.

One day, while musing over his plans and enjoying the beauty of the mountains, his horse alerts him to something in the brush at the edge of the meadow. A bear rushes into the meadow and kills a lamb. Tom runs toward it and then follows the bear up the mountainside, yelling at it until it disappears out of sight. Behind him, the dogs and sheep are in chaos. Eventually, the dogs bunch the sheep and Tom is able...