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"You been around lately?" he asked

"Not lately, no I used to visit when my folks were still alive But over the past few years I’ve just been up here on very quick trips to look at property I’ve never been in this bar before"

"I take it so worked out in terms of property?"

"A ranch Out on Silverton Road"

Jack frowned "The old Weatherby place? He didn’t die, did he?"

"No," Muriel said "Finally decided to give it up and go live near the kids"

"I didn’t knoas even available," Jack observed

"I don’t think it was I’ve been working with a Realtor for a few years now, looking for property I think she went visiting, telling people she ht place And this was the right place Did you know hi the counter a wipe "He was an old-tio He’d already sold off s and a nice garden He was already retired I met him a couple of times in the bar Had a slew of kids and none of ’ehed "You know--youeducation and, in the end, no one wants the ranch" He glanced at the tittering woe and Beatrice," he explained "They are all stirred up Newcomers rate some attention around here"

"I suppose that’s the case," she said

"Doesn’t that Weatherby place need some work?" he asked

"So her soda "But it’s solid, has a good barn and corral, and there’s a guesthouse What was Weatherby doing with a guesthouse?"

"As I understand it, his late wife used to like to paint, so she built herself a studio After she died, a long while back, he turned it into a little aparters Sort of a bunkhouse"

"Oh, that explains it," she said

"Explains what, if you don’t ood little room with a lot of s But it was filthy Like it was rented to men and not cleaned in between" She sipped her cola "The Realtor got a crew to clean it up real nice I gave it a coat of paint, decorated it in a s and can live in it while I work on the bigger house"

"You looking for a contractor?" he asked

"Not yet I’ forward to this for a long time and I want to do most of the work myself I mean, I’m not crazy--I’ll need help if I ever have to wire, plu or put on a roof But I’m hell with a paintbrush And, believe it or not, I’ve mastered seamless wallpaper"

"What about cabinets, countertops, tile, wallboard, et cetera?"

"I’ot a lot of spirit Soot a big laugh out of Jack Right at thatbelly preceding her through the door He lifted his chin in greeting, but before Mel could e and Beatrice, who leaned their heads together and spoke intently, glancing at Jack and the wolanced at the woman and baby; no doubt about it, that would be the classy blonde who married Jack She save hirinned at Muriel She put out her hand "Muriel St Claire," she said "Hi I’"

Muriel took her hand "How do you do I guess you know this guy"

"Know hihed "You have those women over there in a fluster They can’t believe it’s really you"

"Oh, it’s really me I just moved here"

"Summer place?" Mel asked

Muriel shook her head "Retire a brow "An early retiree of pace Jesus, I’ve beenmovies for forty years!"

"Okay, wait a second here," Jack said "I’m totally lost"

"Of course you are, Jack Muriel St Claire is an actress, very famous, and has been since she was about…"

"Fifteen," Muriel supplied

Jack did theup "Wow"

"Goodoff the co sofor a ranch for a few years now My parents lived in these o I have a couple of horses and can’t wait for delivery on a couple of dogs I have a chocolate Lab being trained in Kentucky--she’s a beauty And a Lab puppy co in a couple of weeks Both hunters, I hope"

"You hunt?" Mel asked, trying to keep the shock fro

"Waterfowl Duck and geese"

"Jack shoots deer"

"I could try that," she said "But you can’t use dogs for that and I love working the dogs I’ve always had a dog" She squinted at Mel "You look familiar"

"We met once I don’t expect you would reo But I lived in LA beforeup here and ent to the same day spa for a while I saw you there a couple of tiht’ve had the saain "Facials," she told him

"Fantastic," Muriel said "Who do you use around here?"