Read the excerpt from The Land. My daddy shook his head. "Paul only rides horses he knows."

"Horses I'm talking about aren't wild or anything," said Ray Sutcliffe. "They're my own horses, come straight out of Alabama, not any of these wild, new-breed western horses. In fact, I've got a fine stallion, a grey, I want to race, a real winner if he's got a good rider on his back. I'd pay your boy well. I'd pay you a fee too, on the wager, if I win."

My daddy smiled. "Well, if anybody could ride a horse and win a wager for you, it would be Paul here. But I still have to say no. I don't want this boy or the horse getting hurt. Like I said, my boy rides only horses he knows. I thank you, sir, though, for the offer."This dialogue advances the plot of the story by setting up a conflict between

Paul and his father.
Paul and Robert.
Paul and Mr. Sutcliffe.
Paul and Mitchell.