Playing By Her Rules (Sydney Smoke Rugby Series) by Amy Andrews Page A

her.
    Matilda blinked as her grandmother went off in search of one. “What are you doing?”
    “I noticed a hardware store just down the road. I can buy the materials and have the railing replaced in a few hours.”
    “You…can?”
    “Sure,” he grinned. “I juggled rugby and part-time work as a carpenter for a couple of years before I joined the pros. Had to support myself somehow.”
    “Oh.” Matilda had assumed he’d been paid well all along. “You didn’t mention it.”
    He shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
    It hadn’t been said with any kind of accusation but it felt like one. He was right, she hadn’t asked. It was easier for her to look upon him as a guy who had everything rather than the boy who’d come from nothing.
    Matilda resolved to be more thorough, as Hannah arrived back with the tape measure. Tanner completed the measuring efficiently. “I’ll be back in about half an hour and have this done in no time,” he said to Hannah, who grinned at him like he’d offered to build her a whole new house. He glanced at Matilda, a small smile playing around his mouth. “You wanna come for a ride?”
    “Of course she does,” Hannah piped up.
    Matilda frowned at her grandmother. “No. Thank you. I’ll wait here and keep Gran company.”
    He grinned. “Suit yourself.” Then he nodded at them both and departed.
    Her grandmother sighed and shook her head at Matilda. “I remember a time when you would have jumped at that invitation.”
    Her grandmother was right. Hell, if Tanner had owned a car instead of a bike they’d have probably lost their virginities much, much earlier.
    Matilda shrugged. “It’s complicated.”
    Hannah inspected her face for long moments. “Life’s short, sweetie. I sure as hell don’t have to tell you that.”
    She got a familiar distant look on her face and Matilda knew her grandmother was thinking about her own losses. Her daughter-in-law who’d died shortly after Matilda’s birth, her son who had taken his life at the age of twenty-five, and her beloved husband who had died of a heart attack at forty.
    “Grab on tight to those you love and never let them go,” she said, patting Matilda on the arm as she shuffled past.
    Matilda watched her grandmother disappear inside before turning to face the back yard and that damn shed. Did she still want Tanner as fiercely as she had that day?
    Absolutely.
    But sex wasn’t love. No matter how much her grandmother wanted it to be so.

Chapter Eight
    As good as his word, Tanner was back in half an hour with not just pre-fabricated railings and balustrading but a bunch of different shiny new tools as well—a hammer, a drill, a nail gun, a spirit level, a builders tape measure, and assorted screws and nails. Just under three hours later, Hannah was in possession of a brand spanking new wooden railing that looked sturdy enough to last another sixty-odd years.
    Matilda was incredibly touched. Tanner Stone, elite rugby player, worshipped by men and women alike all around the country, who could have been anywhere today celebrating his team’s win yesterday, had knuckled down like an ordinary Joe and fixed her grandmother’s porch.
    It was pretty damn hard to stay mad at a man who was being so damn sweet.
    “Now, where’s that paint?” he asked Hannah.
    “Tanner,” Matilda protested. “You don’t have to paint it as well.” It was getting close to five and they’d already monopolised his company long enough.
    Not to mention the acute case of horniess she was coming down with at the sight of Tanner wielding a power drill and a nail gun.
    “It’s in the shed,” Hannah supplied, clearly not worried about monopolising Tanner’s time. In fact, she’d bent his ear about one thing or another the entire afternoon while plying him with cold drinks and insisting Matilda act as his lackey.
    Pushing her closer and closer to Tanner and his tools.
    “It’s no bother,” he said, grinning at Hannah. “There’s still a good couple