The Cowboy and the Rascal by Jackie North

First, you have to trust. Then comes trust in return. Then comes love.

Gabe’s working hard to save up to buy his own cattle ranch. That dream is years in the future, but he’s a patient man.
For now, he’ll be the first team lead in the valley’s ex-con rehab project. The idea is, put a parolee to work for a summer and he’ll have a leg up on the rest of his life.
Blaze, who’s just been released from prison after serving two years for a crime he did not commit, is among the first group of parolees to enter the program.
Nobody believes he’s innocent, including Gabe.
After all, all ex-cons are just liars, right?