Ruckus at the Rodeo

It's just a normal weekend in Whisper Creek.

A tenacious border collie, a gorgeous rodeo queen ... and murder.

The three-day celebration marking the seventieth annual Cloud County Rodeo promises to be one of the most exciting yet. Theodora Murphy and her handsome escort, Jordan Reilly, show up to the Jubilee dance, which kicks off the event. When the reigning Miss Rodeo U.S.A. is announced, and Jordan takes Paisley Shaw for a spin around the dance floor, Theo is surprised to learn that the lovely rodeo queen ruled his heart once upon a not so long ago.

Theo, busy with a houseful of new pets, including a tenacious border collie who takes his child protection responsibilities quite seriously, decides it might be best to skip the rest of the festivities, but her friends and family aren't about to let her miss a Whisper Creek tradition. During the day, she attends roping competitions, bronc and bull riding and barrel racing events. Rodeo clowns perform and the kids take part in mutton busting competitions and stick horse races. At night, Theo gets to see her sister, Cleopatra Murphy, take to the stage and perform the songs that made her a country star years before.

Residents agree that this is the best rodeo in the county's history. That is until a cowboy is killed during one of the last bronc riding events of the weekend. When local law enforcement rules the unfortunate incident an accident, the once happy celebration comes to a sad end. Theo thinks she's seen the last of the rodeo until she's asked to do some more digging around. The dead man just happens to be the rodeo queen's younger brother, and she's not at all convinced his death was an accident.