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REWARD!!! plus expenses for return of Aladdin-like brass lamp mistakenly sold at garage sale, August 15, 482 Hazelnut Way. Family keepsake. Call 555-1000.

Gina Cox folded the classified section of the newspaper down on itself, recalling the day two weeks earlier when she and Howard Raskeller, a man she was by then sure wasn’t the love of her life, had visited a garage sale on Hazelnut Way. Her gaze traveled to a pile of unpacked boxes heaped in one corner of her brand-new office. Buried in one of those boxes was the lamp she’d purchased that day, the lamp she’d been so delighted to find as it fit the decor of a restaurant she was in the process of decorating…the lamp it now seemed she must return.

Drat. She sighed, running a hand through the wavy mass of bronze curls that fell to her shoulders. Glancing at her watch, Gina found she had a spare two hours before a scheduled appointment with a troublesome client. Digging through the boxes might at least take her mind off a visit that was sure to prove irritating—at best. The thought did flit through her mind that she didn’t need to return the lamp—it was hers, free and clear to do with as she pleased. In the end, however, it was the phrase family keepsake that kept repeating in her head.

In the bottom layer of the second-to-last box, she finally hit pay dirt. As she freed the lamp from a bed of tissue paper, Gina was once again delighted by the graceful contours, the curved spout, the etched lotus blossom base, the rich patina. She recalled how her little decorator’s heart had beat faster when she saw the sticker on the base—five dollars. She would have paid ten times that much!

What an odd little ornament to be called a family keepsake. Biting her lip, Gina tried to imagine the story behind it. A sweet old man had sold it to her—had he bought it as a keepsake of a romantic adventure in the Middle East? Maybe it went back further than him, back to a soldier grandfather who had discovered it in a bazaar and brought it home along with tales of heroics that cemented the lamp as a keepsake. Or perhaps it was owned by a great-aunt who had married a sultan and used the lamp, burning oil, to read and reread letters from home.

Speculation and fancy aside, in some way, this lamp was connected to a family who cared enough to cast a net for its return.

Keepsakes were not a matter Gina took lightly. Abandoned at birth by a young and unmarried mother, Gina had been raised by her maternal grandparents. Grandfather was a tough old cookie who refused to even hear his wayward daughter’s name spoken in his presence. Grandmother was softer but just as reticent about discussing the past. Gina had one memento, a silver locket her mother had worn when she was a girl. A worthless little object to most, the locket was invaluable to Gina. No doubt about it, she understood the true importance of a keepsake!

Of course, the owner of the Mediterranean restaurant she was decorating might not feel quite as benevolent as Gina when he learned she’d given back the lamp she’d described to him in such glowing detail. But she’d deal with him later.

As she dialed the number in the paper, she took a cursory glance at the desk clock and gasped. Where had the time gone? She slammed down the receiver, grabbed her briefcase and her roomy black purse, tossing the lamp inside the bag at the last second. She could return it in person if the appointment with Julia Ann Dunsberry didn’t run too long.

Three hours later, exhausted but relieved to have the Dunsberry visit over for another week, Gina pulled her car to a stop in front of 482 Hazelnut Way. The house was two stories of brown shingles, the trim painted forest green, the yard bordered with a picket fence. A maple tree, leaves turning gold, occupied one corner of the lot; a rope swing dangled from a low branch, inviting a person to sit on the wooden seat and laze away a September afternoon. Though a good deal more modest than the estate she’d just visited, this house looked homey and warm.

A long porch graced the front. As Gina walked up a broad flight of stairs and crossed to the door, she found herself forming a mental picture of the people who lived here. One was a given, the older man who had sold her the lamp. He’d have a cozy wife. The furniture would be pieces collected over a long marriage, oak, perhaps, braided rugs, tweed upholstery, potted plants.

The door flew inward when she rapped on it, and she heard a far-off voice call from deep inside. She barely made out an invitation to enter.

Hooking her bag over her shoulder, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, then turned to face the living room. It was much as she had imagined, except for the ten-speed bike pushed up against one wall and stacks of magazines and books piled on the large coffee table.

The smell of cookies—so right for this house—filled the air.

I’m back here in the kitchen, a voice called. Aren’t you early? Damn!

The oath, on the other hand, didn’t fit. It was quickly followed by a loud clattering sound, which effectively ended the one-sided conversation and led Gina down a short hall that erupted into a kitchen, a small square room with late-afternoon sunshine streaming through large windows.

Standing in the middle of the room, in front of an open oven, was a man wearing an apron and an oven mitt. The apron was bright red and printed on it in white letters were the words Kiss the Cook. An aluminum cookie tray lay at his feet, and what appeared to be a dozen broken sugar cookies were scattered across the floor in front of him. At the sound of Gina’s footsteps, he looked up.

Mischievous brown eyes closed the distance between them, eyes with challenging glints in their mahogany depths. Vaguely, Gina was aware of the rest of him, the high cheekbones, the straight dark brows, the black hair that flopped over his forehead, the size and breadth of his lean, muscular body, the faded blue jeans, the brown leather boots. But it was his eyes that held her.

They never left her face as he closed the oven door with his foot and picked up the cookie tray, setting it in the sink. Tell me you’re not Naomi Roberts here to collect cookies for the bake sale, he said.

The intensity of his gaze had dazzled Gina. She blinked to break the trance. I’m not Naomi Roberts, she told him.

Good. I seem to be having a problem in the baking department. Anyway, I didn’t think you were. I hear she has five kids and she’s plump.

I don’t have five kids, Gina told him.

No, I don’t imagine you do. And you’re not plump, either. This last remark was followed by a lingering once-over, which Gina knew took in her trim charcoal suit, silver earrings and locket and black pumps. She’d dressed conservatively that morning, knowing she’d need a businesslike air to cope with Julia Ann’s flights of fancy. So, why did she suddenly wish she’d chosen something frilly and frivolous?

Don’t tell me who you are, he commanded, his eyes dancing.

Why not?

Because I know.

She glanced down at her purse, sure the lamp must be peeking a spout through an open zipper, but the bag was closed and the lamp was completely hidden.

Okay, I’ll bite, she said, playing along. Who am I?

He leaned back against the counter. You’ve got to be with the cookie police, he said with a grin.

Gina laughed softly. Actually—

Wait a second. Before you place me under arrest, I think you should know there are extenuating circumstances you may not have considered.

A charmer, that’s what he was, a charmer. Well, Gina thought to herself, she had just recently tangled with a charmer and look where it had landed her: out of an office, nursing a major case of wounded pride and a minor broken heart. On the other hand, this man was just an acquaintance; if she started using Howard Raskeller as a yardstick by which to measure every man she met, she’d spend the rest of her life avoiding the male gender. She smiled and said, Okay, I’ll bite, what are the extenuating circumstances?

He took off the oven mitt and held it in front of his face. Gina could actually see his eyes sparkle through the three big holes in the fabric. I burned myself on the cookie sheet.

Two could play this game. Sorry, but equipment failure doesn’t relieve you of responsibility for the crime, she said, adding as she gestured at the floor, there’s just so much evidence piled up against you.

He shook his head. Geez, you’re tough.

Tough? What about that apron? Kiss the Cook?

Soliciting, huh?

She shrugged.

Looking straight into her eyes, he said, Maybe it’s just wishful thinking.

Just as she thought! A total charmer.

Wait, he said, moving suddenly. From the space between the refrigerator and the wall, he pulled a broom with a dustpan stuck on the handle. As he swept, he cast her a smug grin.

Gina folded her arms across her chest. I must warn you, tampering with the evidence—

What evidence? he interrupted as he swept the cookie crumbs into the dustpan. He dumped the evidence into the garbage under the sink and tossed the broom back beside the refrigerator, where it banged against the wall. Then he tore off the apron, revealing a black T-shirt faded to gray, a T-shirt that had probably shrunk in a too-hot dryer and that now molded the tantalizing muscles of his chest and upper arms.

Worse than she thought! This guy was charming and gorgeous. Gina bit her bottom lip and averted her gaze. I guess you’re off the hook, she mumbled.

Whew! For a minute there I was beginning to think I was going to be locked away for good. Okay, now, what’s your name?

Gina Cox.

Nice to meet you, Gina. I’m Alan Kincaid. So, if you don’t mind my asking, why did you waltz into my kitchen?

Gina’s mission came flooding back to her. Actually, I’m looking for the older man who lives in this house.

You want Uncle Joe, he stated, adding with a grin, which wounds me.

She wanted to tell him he could stop flirting, it wasn’t going to work on her. She said, It’s just that I have his brass lamp-

Alan abruptly crossed the few feet between them and clasped her arms in a pair of very strong hands.

You? You’re the one who bought the lamp?

This position brought them close to an embrace, something he seemed to notice at the same time Gina did. He released her and took a step back. You just have no idea what it’s been like around here since Uncle Joe sold that trinket in his garage sale along with the rest of our junk.

Gina had been in the process of unzipping her purse when his words stopped her. She turned bewildered eyes toward him. Trinket? The ad said it was a family keepsake.

Of course it is, he said quickly.

Somewhat mollified, she began digging for the lamp. I wish he was here, she admitted as her fingers closed around the cool metal. I’d love to know how he came to sell something that is obviously so important to him.

Actually, it’s mine, Alan said, his features softening as she produced the lamp. Uncle Joe held the sale while I was away for a week doing a job up north in Seattle. He was trying to raise enough money to—well, never mind. Anyway, when I found out about it, I’m the one who advertised to get it back. I have to admit I thought the chances were slim that whoever bought it would read my ad.

I’m a decorator by profession, she explained. I always read the yard sale column in the Friday paper. It was clever of you to place your plea there. She turned the lamp over in her hands much as she had earlier in the day. It almost looks as though there should be a genie inside this thing, she mused.

He looked startled. More than startled, perhaps. Alarmed.

Look at the way it’s been rubbed on the right side, she added.

The alarmed expression gave way to one of amusement. Well, go on, make a wish.

No— she protested.

Why not? You don’t believe in genies, do you?

Of course not.

Then, make a wish.

Without warning, Gina thought of the mother she’d never known. She shook her head.

Come on, Alan coaxed.

This is silly.

Humor me.

They exchanged a drawn-out look that defied explanation. As much to break the spell of their silence as to indulge him, she gave in. Why not? But not a wish for my mom. A moment of thought was followed by a low chuckle. This is so unlikely it can’t possibly happen without magical intervention.

The best kind of wish.

Okay, here goes. I wish Julia Ann Dunsberry would stop following me around her house, ‘helping’ me work. The woman drives me crazy. Gina rubbed the lamp vigorously, closing her eyes as she did so. For a second, it seemed as though she was tumbling, but only inside her head. Dizziness, she decided, because she’d skipped lunch to search for the lamp. She opened her eyes and found Alan smiling at her.

Her cheeks suddenly felt hot, as if she’d been caught doing something illicit. "That’s enough