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scene. He realized how uncomfortable he was with the woman's request. He tried another shrug but it didn't work. |
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"Talk to me, Bart. Let me inside." |
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"She was married when I met her. Her husband was in the Air Force. We met at a party. It was instant chemistry. One thing led to another and before long she was staying at my place. Six months after we met, she filed for divorce. Two years after that my father died. He'd been sick for a long time. When we'd come down to see him, Ruthie and I slept together. I told my father we had gotten secretly married. That pleased him because he wanted grandchildren in the worst way." |
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Bartholomew hesitated and glanced at Gladys Ann. Then he shook his head. "No," he said softly, "we were never married." |
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Miller looked around the room again. "Funny thing about thatnobody ever asked. Everybody just assumed. Before long she was actually signing her name Ruthie Miller. At the time I thought it was cute. It was only after things started to go sour that it didn't seem like such a good idea." |
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"What do you mean, 'sour'?" |
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"Life on South Padre and running the Gull House weren't exactly Ruthie's formula for unbridled excitement. It wasn't long before |
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