"Flattery will get you nowhere," Greta says drily, giving Saoirse a mild but pointed look. They'd both assisted in building the little workshop before repurposing it as a chicken coop, but Thomas had been running that particular show. All they'd had to do was follow his directions, not figure things out on their own. A barn might be less complicated, in some respects — no need to run wiring for electricity — but that still doesn't mean it'd be easy.

"Besides, I'm not sure I fancy building a barn from the ground up," she adds. "Even with help."