They married in January 2004, in Denton County, Texas. She had asked Blake not to announce the wedding in the local newspaper, as families often do. Only the officiating minister was present at the ceremony. After the wedding she became Lori Erica Ruff, taking the surname that her documents would carry until her death.
The couple moved to Leonard, a small town northeast of Dallas in Fannin County. Neighbors who encountered Lori over the following years described her as withdrawn. She was known to walk the perimeter of her yard rather than venturing into the neighborhood. She was protective of her privacy to a degree that struck people as unusual even allowing for ordinary variation in personality.
She had interests and skills that her husband and neighbors recalled: she had a passion for animals, an affection for tea parties, and an enthusiasm for things that had a slightly childlike quality — an Easy Bake oven, matching outfits for herself and her daughter. She also, according to accounts Blake shared, claimed some professional competencies including computer programming skills, though at least one person who reviewed her work later doubted these. A reference letter in her papers, written on hotel stationery from Thailand, turned out to be fabricated. The signature resembled her own.
Blake’s family had reservations about her that deepened as the marriage went on. She refused to let them spend time with the child. She was unwilling to let Blake’s family become part of the texture of daily life in the way that families typically do. She resisted closeness of any kind.