Patrick Duffy & Linda Purl: 'No One Would Be Surprised If They Wed,' Says Source

It's been three years since Dallas alum Patrick Duffy lost his beloved wife of over four decades, ballet dancer Carlyn Rosser, to cancer.

But an insider tells OK! that the TV legend, 71, has finally found happiness again with former Matlock star Linda Purl, 65.

"Patrick and Linda are so in love and thrilled to be shouting it from the rooftops," spills the insider. Even though they haven't been together long, "Patrick's adamant this is the real deal, he's taking the ball and running all the way with it — which suits Linda just fine because she's saying he's swept her off her feet."

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According to the insider, the former Step by Step actor and Happy Days alum have known each other for years, but it was a chance encounter in a group text chain that brought them back together last spring.

"Patrick and Linda had been talking for a few weeks when he decided to get in his car and drove 20 hours from his ranch in Oregon to her home in Colorado," says the insider. "And they haven't been apart since! Linda stole Patrick’s heart immediately."

And while the pair are reportedly already talking marriage — "no one would be surprised if they wed before the year is out," spills the source — some friends are raising their eyebrows.

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"This would be Linda's fifth trip," notes the insider (she was previously married to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's son, Desi Arnaz, Jr.; screenwriter William Broyles Jr.; British screenwriter and producer Alexander Cary; and James Vinson Adams). "But that doesn't seem to faze Patrick. He's sure they're meant to be and is certain his late wife is smiling down on him — because he's finally happy again."