Crescent Acres (Steve Rogers AU)

29

Darby

The winter months have now rolled in and I wake to find the ranch like a winter wonderland. The snow perfectly set, but no track marks as of yet. It's still early morning, but no doubt today we're gonna be out shovelling the road that leads in and out as well as the paths.

It's incredibly pretty, but also quite cold.

I light a fire in the fireplace once I'm up, and make both Steve and I a coffee. He's currently still asleep, the cast finally coming off his arm yesterday and x-rays showing that his other injuries have healed relatively well. He can remember bits and pieces of what happened leading up to before the horse threw him off but can't remember the actual event as it happened. The doctor says that part may return in time, but he's pleased with the recovery process.

"God I'm so glad I can actually hold you properly again". Steve murmurs, slipping his arms around my waist from behind - the warmth from his skin enveloping mine. How the hell he can walk around shirtless in this kind of weather is beyond me. Then again I suppose that he's used to the winters here. "You coming back to bed?"

I melt into him. "How can I say no to that? But the snow's come down and you remember what your mom said about clearing the road and area around the house?"

He goes to the window and pulls back the curtain, looking out to a glare of white. "Jeez, maybe we'll have to rain check that. Deepest I've seen it for some time". He now says, turning back while I pass him his coffee.

"Remember the last time I asked you to stay in bed?" I remind him. "Look what happened. Another hour and then we can get up and go sort the snow out".

I know for a fact that the look I'm giving him now is one that he can't resist.

"Bed. Now". He all but growls at me, and I'm not about to object.

As we lay there after, I want to stay like this all day, but know that we can't. It's now 9am and really we need to be up and about beginning the work for today. "Darbs..."

"Mhmm?" I say sleepily, the comfort and warmth of him and the room are making me want to drift back off again.

"I've really gotta get up now" He presses a kiss to my head, and I protest as he now moves and gets out of bed. "Snow ain't gonna shovel itself".

I huff. "Can you at least do it naked so I have a reason to get up?"

"No can do" He laughs as he now gets dressed. "Certain parts of my body may not work as well as they used to but I wanna at least keep the one important thing in tact".

"Spoil sport". I tease and eventually get back up and dress again.

Steve just grins at me. "I'll let you build a snowman if you come help me".

I'm sold, and we wrap up for the weather, boots, warm jackets and hats and then go out with the shovels to begin our work.

Sarah is already out clearing around the bottom of the porch steps by the time that we get to her, but stops on seeing us. "Quite a lot this year! They're saying it's gonna be a white Christmas in town".

We've yet to put up our decorations as we've been busy, but I plan on dedicating a day this week to doing so. Christmas is four weeks away, so not long and then we'll be into the new year.

And only a few months away from finally saying 'I Do'

"You girls get inside, I'll deal with the rest of this". Steve waves us off, and so Sarah leads me up the steps and into the house. The smell of baking hits me from the moment I walk through the door.

"What's cooking?" I ask.

"The Rogers family Christmas cake. Recipe's been in the family for years. Joe's mom taught it to me and it goes back through the mother in laws". She tells me. "And next year? I'm gonna be teaching it to you".

I smile and make some hot chocolate for us all, Steve coming in some time later covered in snow and face freezing from the cold. "Weather's not doing any good for the arm". He states. "Aches a bit - Banner said it could happen".

Sarah sits him down on one of the kitchen chairs around the table. "That's enough for you today. I don't even know if doing the road is worth the bother if more settles tonight".

"Seeing as we've got vehicles coming back and forth down it anyway I ain't gonna bother". He states, now pulling me gently onto his lap. "Besides, I think we need to crack out the Christmas decorations".

"But we don't have a tree?" I question.

"Went and got one the other day when you were grocery shopping". He smirks. "We do real Christmas trees here. No fake ones".

The more that comes out of this man's mouth, the more I fall deeper in love with him.

"Well, you two better get your asses moving, especially if you'll be wanting lights around the cabin?" Sarah now says.

"Want me to do your ones tomorrow?" Steve now asks.

Sarah scoffs. "I already roped Sam into doing it, ain't no way I'm letting you up there".

Steve rolls his eyes. "Mom..."

"Steven".

I watch the silent stand off before breaking it. "Why don't we get the tree from wherever you've hidden it, and then we can make a start on feeling a little more Christmassy?" I suggest.

"Now that's the sensible option". Sarah tells him and he groans. "You promised us that you'd take it easy".

I look to him and nod in agreement. "You really did".

He knows that with the pair of us he can't argue, so he just agrees and finishes his cocoa. "Fine".

Getting to his feet we tell Sarah to come over for dinner this evening, and then make our way back to take the tree from where Steve has been storing it, then putting it up in a free space in the corner of the cabin. Decorating it with lights and baubles as well as adding other Christmassy ornaments and stockings up around the cabin.

It's cosy with the fire now burning and crackling away in the fireplace, the smells of Christmas filling the living room and kitchen area.

"One last thing". Steve says as he shows me the star for the top of the tree. "Go on".

"I won't be able to reach". I smirk, but stand corrected as he now hoists me up, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carries me over to the tree and I put the star on top, then grabbing his face and kissing him.

Our first Christmas, and the start of many more to come - and who knows? Perhaps next year we may have another to share it with, or at least know that we will.