But survive he did. Not only did he kick his habit and regain his health, but he began to rebuild his career, as well, with the tenacious Beth by his side, as she'd wanted all along. By 2003, the hunt for fugitive cosmetics heir Andrew Luster had brought Duane in front of the camera, making media appearances about the hunt. It was enough to get him an appearance on Take This Job, a show about people with unusual careers. That appearance turned into a pilot for what would become Dog the Bounty Hunter, which became a series on A&E after Duane captured Luster.
While Duane was on the hunt for Luster and away from Beth, he wore a gold ring around his thumb and she wore an identical one with diamonds around it. Finding Luster came as a relief to Beth. "We've been researching for him. We have ate, slept and drank this person for six months," she told Good Morning America at the time. "I've hardly seen my husband. He Missed Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day."
Despite referring to Duane as her husband, the truth was the couple still was not married. In fact, despite the fact that they'd welcomed two children, Bonnie, in 1999, and Garry, in 2001, there hadn't even been a proposal. But that changed in the fall of 2005 when they were in Las Vegas. He proposed to her and intended to marry her on the spot—if only they'd made it to the courthouse in time for a license. "If time wasn't a factor, I would have married her in a tacky Vegas chapel that night," he wrote. "To this day, Beth still isn't convinced I would have gone through with it."
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