Confluence of Hearts

In the sun-baked valleys of 1500s New Mexico, where the Spanish mission bells echo against ancient canyon walls, two souls meet at a river's edge - each seeking something they cannot find in their own world.

Mateo, a young Spanish settler fleeing the rigid confines of his homeland, finds himself drawn ever further from the mission's watchful eyes. His solitary walks along the river become something more when he encounters Ahiga, a Zuni Lhamana - a Two-Spirit person whose very existence challenges everything he's been taught. In Ahiga's gentle strength and artistic gifts, Mateo glimpses a freedom he's only dreamed of.

Through shared moments of pottery-making, their hands speak what their different languages cannot. Each lesson becomes a ritual, each exchanged word a treasure, as they build something far more precious than the vessels they create together. In the safety of morning shadows and secret paths, they discover that love, like clay, can be shaped into something beautiful if one has the courage to try.

Set against the backdrop of early Spanish colonization, "Confluence of Hearts" is a tender historical romance about finding love across cultural boundaries, the courage to live truthfully, and the universal language of the heart. Like two rivers joining to form something new, their story challenges us to imagine a world where love transcends all barriers - cultural, linguistic, and spiritual.